Altacor Expands Glaucoma Development Portfolio

Altacor (Cambridge, United Kingdom) has gained exclusive worldwide rights from OphthalmoPharma (Sarnen, Switzerland) for Latanoprost CD and Cyclosporin A Prodrug, according to a news release. The licensing agreements are the last in the series of transactions in which Altacor now assumes full responsibility for the entire OphthalmoPharma portfolio of ophthalmic products covering development, intellectual property, and commercialization rights. Latanoprost CD is a water-soluble, preservative-free formulation of latanoprost. Cyclosporin A Prodrug is a water-soluble treatment developed to improve tolerability in the treatment of dry eye syndrome, corneal transplantation, and uveitis.

“Both of these development products fit well with our current pipeline, strengthening Altacor's position in our key areas of focus, diseases of the front of the eye and glaucoma,” said Fran Crawford, chief executive officer of Altacor in a news release. “The potential therapeutic profiles from these novel products offer real benefits to patients in these two areas of high medical need.”

Study Evaluates Haag-Streit Tonosafe Disposable Prisms

Affairs Boston Healthcare System found that Haag-Streit's single-use Tonosafe disposable tonometer prisms are a reliable alternative to the Goldmann applanation tonometer (GAT), according to a study published in Eye.1

Tonosafe disposable prism covers are designed to replace the multiuse prisms created for the GAT. The study measured the IOP of 652 eyes (326 patients) with the Tonosafe and with the GAT. Previous studies comparing Tonosafe with the GAT primarily included patients within the normal range. The investigation also included patients at the extremes of IOP measurements, within the range of 3 to 34 mm Hg.

Linear regression analysis showed R = .93 and slope = .91. The y-intercept = -1.05 was significantly different than the hypothesized value. Tonosafe test-retest repeatability on 40 patients (40 eyes) was very high with R = .977. That was further supported by linear regression slope = .993, y-intercept = .118. The Tonosafe repeatability coefficient was 2.06—similar to GAT repeatability.

  1. Thomas V, Daly MK, Cakiner-Egilmez T, Baker E. Reliability of tonosafe disposable tonometer prisms: clinical implications form the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System Quality Assurance Study. Eye. 2011;25(5):651-656.

Transcend Medical Closes $51M Series B Financing

Transcend Medical, Inc., (Menlo Park, CA), an ophthalmic device company dedicated to developing minimally invasive glaucoma therapies, announced the closure of its second tranche, bringing the total of Series B funding to $51 million, according to a news release.

Investor Growth Capital (IGC; Stockholm, Sweden) joined the tranche, along with follow-on contributions from several other existing investors. Transcend will use the funds for the development of additional infrastructure and resources for the US study of its CyPass Micro-Stent as well as for ongoing international clinical trials and the development of next-generation glaucoma solutions.

The CyPass Micro-Stent is a tiny implant placed in the eye through a minimally invasive surgical procedure. It is intended to be an earlier intervention than conventional surgical treatments and is designed to eliminate the need for glaucoma medications while providing continuous control of IOP.

“Transcend's promising clinical outcomes and [research and development] progress to date demonstrate that the company is well positioned in the existing $4.5 billion global glaucoma therapy market,” said Abhijeet Lele, managing director and head of healthcare investing at IGC. “We look forward to working closely with the management team to expedite development of this exciting minimally invasive glaucoma therapy.”