NEWSspectrum

Litigation Continues on Utah Law to Ban UPPs

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver issued a temporary injunction on May 13, 2015 to put on hold Utah’s Contact Lens Consumer Protection Act. Signed into law in March 2015, it made Utah the first state to ban contact lens manufacturers’ Unilateral Pricing Policy (UPP) programs.

The injunction reversed a lower court ruling from U.S. District Judge Dee Benson, who found that the law is a legal antitrust measure and allowed it to take effect on May 12. Similar legislation has been introduced in several other states, but none appear to be close to enactment at this time.

Manufacturers with UPP programs, without any agreement with resellers, announce a minimum resale price (MRP) and refuse to make further sales to any reseller that sells below the announced MRP. In 2013, Alcon put a UPP into place, initially applicable only to Dailies Total1 and extended to other specified contact lens brands in 2014. Bausch + Lomb (B+L) and Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. (JJVCI) also introduced their own UPP programs. In the latter part of 2014, CooperVision continued a UPP for its Clariti contact lenses, which were part of the company’s acquisition of Sauflon Pharmaceuticals Limited.

In April, Alcon, B+L, and JJVCI filed separate federal lawsuits, claiming that the Utah law was unconstitutional. They also requested an injunction to delay the effective date of the law until the suit is resolved. On May 11, a U.S. District Court judge denied the request for a preliminary injunction. In response to the May 13 temporary injunction, the Utah Attorney General’s Office argued in court documents that the law is an antitrust measure designed to increase competition and help customers.

JJVCI Launching 1-Day Acuvue Moist Multifocal

Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. (JJVCI) began taking orders from eyecare professionals on June 1 for its new 1-Day Acuvue Moist Brand Multifocal contact lenses, which the company says is the first and only contact lens to optimize the optical design to account for the natural variation in pupil size according to age and refractive power. JJVCI says the new lens matches the optical design to the pupil size for a superior vision experience.

The company is currently in the in-market assessment phase of the launch, which began April 1, 2015, with approximately 500 eyecare professionals worldwide (approximately 300 in the United States). The full launch will occur on June 24 at the American Optometric Association’s Optometry’s Meeting. More information on the lens design and parameters will appear in the July Product Spectrum.

DreamLens Now at Art Optical

Art Optical has announced the availability of DreamLens, a four-zone reverse geometry lens design for overnight orthokeratology and myopia management. DreamLens is an FDA-approved design option using the Bausch + Lomb Vision Shaping Treatment (VST) process that is indicated for the temporary reduction of up to 5.00D of myopia in eyes with 1.50D or less of corneal astigmatism.

The DreamLens VST process features an advanced proprietary software program that analyzes topographical data, aids in initial lens selection, and simplifies the fitting and ordering process. The web-based program allows practitioners the freedom to change any parameter, anytime, which gives them complete control of the design, according to the company.

Art Optical states that DreamLens will be competitively priced, backed by a guaranteed fit program, and manufactured and shipped within 24 hours of order.

As with all FDA-approved corneal reshaping designs, DreamLens training and certification is required prior to prescribing.

Extending Partnership with UltraVision CLPL

In other Art Optical news, under license from UltraVision CLPL, UK, Art Optical has been manufacturing and supplying Intelliwave hydrogel and silicone hydrogel lenses in the United States and Asia since 2008. Both companies recently agreed to extend this relationship to 2020 and beyond as well as to build on it by including additional technology to create new GP multifocal and other specialty contact lens designs.

IACLE Names 2015 Contact Lens Educators of the Year

The International Association of Contact Lens Educators (IACLE) announced the winners of the 2015 IACLE Contact Lens Educator of the Year Awards to recognize and reward achievement in contact lens education worldwide. Supported by the British Contact Lens Association (BCLA) and sponsored by CooperVision, three awards, one from each of IACLE’s three global regions, were presented at a special IACLE Session at the BCLA’s Clinical Conference & Exhibition in Liverpool, United Kingdom on May 30.

IACLE Asia Pacific Contact Lens Educator of the Year: Professor Monica Chaudhry Prior to joining the Amity University Gurgaon, India, where she is head of Optometry and Vision Science, Professor Chaudhry served at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. She is currently the chair of the Optometry Council of India.

IACLE Americas Contact Lens Educator of the Year: Martín Giraldo Mr. Giraldo qualified as an optometrist at La Salle University, Colombia, where he holds the post of Candidate Magister in Vision Science. He is currently coordinator of the Specialization in Anterior Segment and Contact Lens at Santo Tomás University, Colombia. He also teaches at courses and congresses in Colombia, Perú, Ecuador, Argentina, and Venezuela.

IACLE Europe / Africa – Middle East Contact Lens Educator of the Year: Helmer Schweizer Mr. Schweizer is a trained optometrist (Germany) specializing in contact lenses and has held positions in industry including professional affairs and R&D roles. He is president of the industry body Euromcontact and chairman of the European Contact Lens Forum. He also teaches at the schools of optometry in Novi Sad (Serbia) and Velika Gorica (Croatia).

National Optometry Hall of Fame Nominees Announced

The American Optometric Association (AOA) and Optometry Cares-The AOA Foundation congratulate three AOA member doctors of optometry who have been selected into the prestigious National Optometry Hall of Fame. Since 1998, the National Optometry Hall of Fame, administered by Optometry Cares, has recognized and honored optometrists who have made significant and long-lasting contributions to the optometric profession.

The three inductees will be honored at a ceremony and reception on June 25, 2015 as part of the AOA’s annual Optometry’s Meeting, at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle.

The 2015 inductees are:

Paul C. Ajamian, OD, of Georgia Dr. Ajamian is co-founder of the nation’s first optometric co-management and referral center, Omni Eye Services of Atlanta. Upon graduating from the New England College of Optometry, he became one of the first optometrists to participate in a post-graduate fellowship program at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute (BPEI) in Miami. He was awarded the AOA’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award, in 2014.

Kenji Hamada, OD, of Oregon Dr. Hamada began his career in the U.S. Army, 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, serving as captain and chief optometrist, earning the Meritorious Service Award. He has received the Young Optometrist of the Year Award, Optometrist of the Year Award, and President’s Award (earned three times) from the Oregon Optometric Physicians Association and the 2001 National Distinguished Service Award from the AOA. Dr. Hamada was also inducted into the National Academies of Practice as a Distinguished Practitioner in Optometry in 2000.

Earl L. Smith III, OD, PhD, of Texas Professor Smith serves on the faculty of the University of Houston College of Optometry. He currently holds the Greeman-Petty Professorship in Vision Development and serves as the interim chief health officer of the University of Houston Amoco. He received the Educator of the Year Award from the Texas Optometric Association in 2003 and Optometrist of the Year Award in 2009.