• Bausch + Lomb (B+L) recently introduced the Eyetelligence Platform, software designed to streamline surgical planning, information flow, and enable electronic medical record and diagnostic device integration. The Eyetelligence platform also includes software to connect to Bausch + Lomb’s Stellaris Elite Vision Enhancement System. In other news, B+L received FDA approval for its excimer laser platform Teneo for myopia and myopic astigmatism.
• Cellusion received FDA orphan drug designation for its regenerative medicine product “iPS cell-derived corneal endothelial cell substitute” (“CLS001”) for the treatment of bullous keratopathy. CLS001 is a therapeutic regenerative medicine product that combines “CECSi Cells made from iPS cells with excellent proliferative properties” and “a simple injection cell delivery procedure without needs of human expertise,” according to a press release.
• Eversight, a global nonprofit eye bank, and Emmcell, a private clinical-stage biotechnology company, have partnered to advance cell therapies for the treatment of eye disease. Emmcell’s cell therapy injects healthy corneal endothelial cells obtained from donor corneas into the eye to repopulate the patient’s diseased cornea with functioning endothelial cells. This potentially eliminates the need for transplantation.
• Kala Pharmaceuticals announced positive safety data from the first cohort of its CHASE (Corneal Healing After SEcretome therapy) phase 2b clinical trial evaluating KPI-012. This is a human mesenchymal stem cell secretome for the treatment of persistent corneal epithelial defect. Specifically, the first cohort enrolled two patients who were treated with a high dose of KPI-012 (3 U/mL) four times per day. Both patients successfully completed at least one week of dosing with no safety issues observed. The trial is now advancing to the second cohort, which will be comprised of 90 patients.
• KeraLink International (KLI) launched the Great Cornea Challenge and the Cornea Technology Accelerator to attract and support innovators and entrepreneurs to help in the fight to eradicate corneal blindness, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), according to a press release. The Great Cornea Challenge invites entrepreneurs and innovators to propose new products, services, or technologies for preventing, detecting, and treating corneal blindness in LMICs for an investment of up to $100,000 in cash or equivalents from KLI. KLI’s Cornea Technology Accelerator is open to entrepreneurs and innovators who need business support services, such as product development, assistance with regulatory approval, supply chain and distribution strategies, and more. Visit https://keralink.org/gcc.
• OKYO Pharma Limited announced that the FDA cleared the Investigational New Drug (IND) application for OK-101 for the treatment of neuropathic corneal pain (NCP). A phase 2 double-masked, randomized, 12-week trial will compare OK-101 to placebo in NCP patients. A total of 54 patients are planned for the study, with NCP disease confirmed via confocal microscopy. The primary endpoint will be measured utilizing visual analog scale pain relief scores. The company says it’s scheduling this trial for Q2 2024.
• STAAR Surgical recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of the implantable collamer lens. Specifically, the first ICLs were implanted by a group of surgeons in October 1993. The company’s current generation of ICLs, the EVO ICL family, include a central port. This ICL was first approved for commercial use in the United States in 2022, according to a press release. CP
