Sunday, September 20, 2009 A free weekly e-mail newsletter brought to you by: 
CLToday Contact Lens Spectrum
Edited by Jason J. Nichols, OD, MPH, PhD, FAAO and the staff of Contact Lens Spectrum
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Alcon to Acquire Swiss Biotech Company

Alcon has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire ESBATech AG, a Swiss biotechnology company. ESBATech is a clinical-stage biotechnology company that is developing a pipeline of proprietary single-chain antibody fragment therapeutics for topical and local delivery.
     "Biotechnology offers significant growth opportunities in ophthalmology because it has the potential to deliver therapies with superior efficacy and safety relative to existing approaches," said Sabri Markabi, M.D., Alcon's senior vice president of research and development and chief medical officer. "Combining ESBATech's proprietary antibody fragment technology with our expertise in ophthalmic formulation and capabilities in global development will strengthen Alcon's leadership position in ophthalmology."
     ESBATech has advanced its antibody fragment technology to preclinical and clinical stages in the eye for various diseases. The company has several stable and soluble single-chain antibody fragments in development, with its most advanced product candidate progressed into Phase I and II studies relating to the treatment of inflammatory ocular diseases.
     This acquisition follows Alcon's recent announcement of a collaborative agreement with AstraZeneca.

Allergan Receives FDA Warning Letter

The Food and Drug Administration sent a warning letter to Allergan concerning its eyelash thickener Latisse. In the letter dated Sept. 10 and posted to the FDA Web site on Sept. 17, the FDA states that the Latisse Web site does not include adequate warnings for possible side effects from using Latisse, and asks the company to comply with its request to modify the site. Allergan must reply to the letter by Sept. 24.

B&L, Shutterfly Sponsor Photo Contest

Bausch & Lomb and Shutterfly recently announced the Eye on Summer Fun contest. U.S. consumers are encouraged to visit SofLensSummer.Shutterfly.com and submit a photo of a fun and attention-grabbing summer activity by Oct. 16, 2009. The online contest features a grand prize of a Flip MinoHD camcorder personalized with the winning photo and a yearlong supply of SofLens daily disposable contact lenses. A runner-up will receive a 90-day supply of SofLens daily disposable lenses and a $100 gift certificate to Best Buy.
     Entries will be judged on the following criteria: originality, creativity and appropriateness to the theme of "summer activity." Winners will be selected by Bausch & Lomb, Shutterfly and Betawave, Shutterfly's media sales partner.
     The Eye on Summer Fun contest is part of Bausch & Lomb's larger effort to show U.S. consumers the many benefits of wearing daily disposable contact lenses. For more information, official rules and to enter the Eye on Summer Funcontest, visit www.soflens.com or www.SofLensSummer.Shutterfly.com.

Offer your patients all-day comfort that won't blink away

1•DAY ACUVUE® MOIST® Brand Contact Lenses provide your patients comfort with every blink. They are the only daily disposable contact lenses that feature patented LACREON Technology, which permanently embeds a hydrophilic wetting agent into the lens material. This allows your patients to comfortably wear contact lenses longer throughout the day compared with DAILIES AquaComfort PLUS™1which in turn leads to exceptional patient satisfaction.
Additional Information
1. Data on file. Johnson & Johnson, 2008.
     ACUVUE Brand Contact Lenses are indicated for vision correction. As with any contact lens, eye problems, including corneal ulcers, can develop. Some wearers may experience mild irritation, itching or discomfort. Lenses should not be prescribed if patients have any eye infection, or experience eye discomfort, excessive tearing, vision changes, redness or other eye problems. Consult the package insert for complete information. Complete information is also available from VISTAKON, Division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc., by calling 1-800-843-2020 or by visiting jnjvisioncare.com.
     ACUVUE, 1DAY ACUVUE MOIST, LACREON, and VISTAKON are trademarks of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc.
     Other brand names/product names are trademarks of their respective owners.
Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. 2009.


--ADVERTISING

Companies Combine Forces for Drug Development

Allergan has entered into a collaborative agreement with Pieris AG that is designed to combine Pieris' proprietary Anticalin technology with Allergan's drug delivery and ophthalmic drug development. Under the terms of the collaboration Pieris will work with Allergan to optimize existing lead Anticalins and to design novel Anticalins. Allergan will be solely responsible for all discovery, development, and commercialization costs and will be responsible for clinical development and related activities and commercialization.
     Pieris is developing Anticalins for the treatment of a variety of disorders. Anticalins are a novel class of biologic drugs that are engineered to bind disease-relevant targets with high affinity and specificity. They are based on naturally occurring proteins called lipocalins, which are present in human plasma and body fluids where they function to bind, store and transport various small molecules including lipids and hormones.
    Anticalins possess multiple distinguishing features, including an inherently high degree of stability. Anticalins benefit from their small size (20kDa) and are produced in micro-organisms, thus conferring a significant cost advantage to the production of the therapeutic agent.

Children at Risk for Undetected Vision Problems

A new report by The Vision Council, Making the Grade?, finds state laws regarding vision assessments for children entering school are inconsistent, impeding children's ability to succeed in school. The Vision Council's report examines the importance of early detection of vision problems for children and provides detailed information on states laws. Since the report was first issued in 2005, 14 states have enacted or enhanced laws regarding vision assessment for school-age children. "Many states are recognizing the critical connection between vision and learning," said Ed Greene, CEO of The Vision Council.
     Key findings include: nine states do not require children to receive a vision assessment before starting school; of the 39 states (including D.C.) which require a vision screening for children entering school, 32 do not mandate any follow-up care for children who fail the screening; and only three states require all children to receive a comprehensive eye exam by an eyecare professional before entering elementary school.
     To view the report and an interactive map of the country, showing current vision assessment requirements, visit http://www.thevisioncouncil.org.

Lens Storage Expands Offerings

Lens Den LLC, maker of trial contact lens storage systems, announced it now has systems for Frequency 55 sphere storage, Proclear spherical storage, and Proclear EP. The Lens Den also will soon be expanding its multifocal contact lens models.
     For more information visit www.thelensden.com.

Abstract: Recent Causes of Subconjunctival Hemorrhage

The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between the incidence of subconjunctival hemorrhage (SCH) and age during each season of the year, and to examine recent risk factors for SCH. A total of 161 patients with SCH aged 1-94 years were involved in the study. The age, gender, medical history and ocular history were determined for all subjects. Researchers found the peak age of onset of SCH was between 61 and 70 years. Fourteen patients (77.7%) had trauma or contact-lens-induced injury, and four patients (22.3%) among the younger patients aged 0-40 years had an unknown etiology. Among the older patients aged 61-94 years, the chief risk factor for SCH was hypertension (47.5%), followed by unknown etiology (39.4%) and then diabetes (13.1%).
Researchers concluded the results suggest that the major current risk factors for SCH are trauma and contact-lens-induced injury in younger patients, while hypertension is the main factor in older patients. The incidence of acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis was decreased.
Mimura T, Usui T, Yamagami S et al. Recent Causes of Subconjunctival Hemorrhage. Ophthalmologica 2009;224:133-137

Editor's Commentary: Don't Stop at the Abstract, Keep Reading

We realize that it is difficult for many of you to keep up with all the literature in this field, and thus, the idea behind the abstracts we include in Contact Lenses Today are to highlight an article or tidbit that you may find of interest. However, it is important to emphasize that you not make too many conclusions when reading only an abstract. It is always prudent to fully review the original article in order to gain the complete perspective as many times important insights, disclaimers, limitations, and qualifications are brought forth by the authors that are not necessarily reflected in the abstract.
Jason J. Nichols, OD, MPH, PhD, FAAO 

This month at www.siliconehydrogels.org: adverse events with daily wear of silicone hydrogels, SEALs with extended wear, controlling case contamination, contact lens complications, and part two of our AAO 2008 synopsis.

Report adverse contact lens reactions here: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/ or call (800) FDA-1088.

Report possible grievances related to the Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act or associated Contact Lens Rule at: https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/.
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For more information on Contact Lenses Today including archives of previous issues or to subscribe to this newsletter, please visit our website at www.cltoday.com. For the latest articles on contact lenses, important clinical information and helpful tools related to the contact lens practice visit the Contact Lens Spectrum website at www.clspectrum.com.
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