at press time

Aspheric IOL gets NTIOL Status
Alcon's AcrySof IQ Qualifies for Increased Payment.

Alcon's AcrySof IQ aspheric IOL

Alcon, Inc. announced that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has recognized the AcrySof IQ IOL as belonging to the New Technology Intraocular Lens (NTIOL) classification of Reduced Spherical Aberration.

This NTIOL designation became effective on May 19 and increases the Medicare payment to ambulatory surgery centers for cataract surgery by $50 per lens when surgery is performed with an AcrySof IOL.

The AcrySof IQ lens joins Advanced Medical Optics' Tecnis lens as the only two IOLs now with NTIOL status. Adjusted payment for the AcrySof IQ IOL will remain in effect until Feb. 27, 2011. HCPSC code Q1003 can be submitted, along with one of the approved procedure codes: CPT 66982, 66984, 66985 or 66986.

The AcrySof IQ IOL is an aspheric lens that is designed to reduce spherical aberration in the aging eye and, according to Alcon, has been shown to improve night-driving performance vs. a conventional spherical IOL. To gain inclusion in the NTIOL category, the AcrySof IQ had to demonstrate the same or greater clinical benefit as the Tecnis, the lens that established the NTIOL subset.

"We are pleased that CMS has recognized the clinical advantages that patients gain from this advanced lens technology vs. conventional IOL implants," said Kevin Buehler, Alcon senior vice president, United States, and chief marketing officer. "Studies have shown that by reducing spherical aberration, the AcrySof IQ IOL enhances image quality and improves contrast sensitivity."

Originally introduced in January 2004 as the AcrySof HOA (SN60WF), the IQ is an advanced monofocal on a single-piece, acrylic platform and is designed specifically for small-incision surgery and a high level of stability in the eye.

The AcrySof IQ lens has a thin central optic made possible by the use of a patented, biocompatible hydrophobic lens material. In addition, the AcrySof IQ has the same blue-light-filtering properties as the Alcon Natural IOL.

The Acry Sof IQ deals with spherical aberration through a unique design that reduces the effects of over-refraction at the periphery of the lens without increasing edge thickness. Alcon says the AcrySof IQ IOL edge profile is up to 50% thinner than other aspheric optic IOLs.

STOCK WATCH
A LOOK AT THE PERFORMANCE OF OPHTHALMIC COMPANIES

GIVING BACK: An Alumnus who Remembers
"Raz" Giliberti Brings Eye Care to Grenadians.
By Jerry Helzner, Senior Editor

"Raz" Giliberti, M.D., (center) performs the first corneal transplant procedure in Grenada in March of 2005 with Grenadian ophthalmologist Earline Thomas, M.D., (left) and Robert Fucigna, M.D.

"When you go to an offshore medical school, you can expect medical school plus."

So says, Orazio "Raz" Giliberti, M.D., who was a member of the first class of medical school graduates from St. George University in Grenada in 1982. In Dr. Giliberti's case, the "plus" included one short-lived Cuba-sponsored takeover of the lush Caribbean island. He also missed by just 1 year the second, more serious Marxist capture of Grenada — an action that required U.S. military intervention in 1983 to reclaim the island and rescue St. George students and staff.

Dr. Giliberti, who heads the Giliberti Eye and Laser Center in Totowa, N.J., and serves as chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at Seton Hall University, was moved in his student days by the sight of Grenadians with untreated eye problems.

Even as a second- and third-year resident back in the United States, he was already making the first of numerous trips to Grenada to provide badly needed eye care for St. George University employees. The effort soon expanded to encompass the entire island, and later to the nearby island of St. Vincent, serving a total population of approximately 160,000 people.

"We were the charter class members who started the school and I was the first St. George graduate to specialize in ophthalmology. We knew the island, knew the people, saw the deficiencies in eye care. It was a third-world country. We saw ourselves as the ambassadors
of vision."

Dr. Giliberti has been making those trips back to Grenada for 23 years and has been instrumental in enlisting other St. George medical alumni in an effort that has expanded into a permanent eye clinic that is open year-round and that can now perform a wide range of procedures. Last year, the first three corneal transplants were performed at the Grenadian clinic. Previously, corneal transplant patients had been brought to New Jersey to have their operations.

"We are still in the process of training the local ophthalmologists and building the infrastructure," says Dr. Giliberti. "We still see numerous cases of untreated diabetic retinopathy, probably related to the ethnic makeup of the island which is largely people of African and African/Latin descent."

The staff of the Grenadian eye clinic primarily performs cataract surgery, deals with trauma injuries, offers glaucoma screening and treats glaucoma patients. The staff also sees debilitating tropical diseases such as chlamydia trachoma, which can be treated with an antibiotic if caught early enough through a screening program.

"We get an occasional paying patient, but the clinic is essentially supported by donations," says
Dr. Giliberti. "The founder and chancellor of St. George University, Charles R. Modica, along with the school, finances most of the costs of the clinic, and companies such as Alcon have been extremely helpful in providing supplies and equipment. The San Diego Eye Bank and the Midwest Eye Bank have been great in helping our corneal transplant program."

Because of his tireless volunteer efforts and continuing close connection to the medical school, Dr. Giliberti now serves as associate dean of clinical U.S. studies and director of ophthalmology at St. George University, overseeing a department that now numbers 30 local and visiting ophthalmologists.

IN THE NEWS

►New Xibrom trial. ISTA Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is initiating two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multi-center phase 3 clinical trials of a new proprietary once-daily formulation of its NSAID Xibrom for the treatment of pain and inflammation following cataract surgery. Twice-daily Xibrom has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of ocular inflammation and reduction of ocular pain following cataract surgery.

The new phase 3 clinical trials are expected to enroll approximately 350 patients. ISTA believes that the trials will be concluded late this year, with preliminary results available in early 2007. Assuming timely completion and successful results of the phase 3 clinical studies, ISTA intends to file a supplemental New Drug Application for once-daily Xibrom in 2007.

►Mazzo new AMO chairman. The board of directors of Advanced Medical Optics, Inc. has named AMO director, president and CEO James V. Mazzo, 49, to also serve as chairman of the company's board.

Mazzo's appointment follows the decision by the company's former chairman, William R. Grant, 81, to step down. Grant, who had served as the company's chairman since its spin-off from Allergan, Inc. in June 2002, remains a member of AMO's board of directors.

►Dry eye "Hot Spots." The National Women's Health Resource Center has released a list of "America's 100 Dry Eye Hot Spots," the cities with environmental conditions most likely to aggravate dry eye.

Las Vegas tops the list, followed by four Texas cities, Lubbock, El Paso, Midland and Dallas/Fort Worth. Other large metropolitan cities on the list include New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia and Miami. For a complete list of the cities, visit www.healthywomen.org.

The rankings are based on an analysis of data archived by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climatic Data Center and the Environmental Protection Agency that considered factors including temperature, humidity, wind, altitude, pollutants and ocular allergens.

►Speedier reimbursement. The rapid adoption of electronic claims processing is allowing medical practices to be reimbursed more quickly. In fact, a recent survey conducted by America' Health Insurance Plans, a trade group for the managed care industry, found that 98% of all accepted claims are being processed within 30 days.

The survey found that 77% of all claims now being submitted by doctors, hospitals and pharmacies are being sent electronically. That compares with 44% just 4 years ago.

Despite this progress, one in seven claims submitted for payment is being returned to doctors and hospitals as incomplete or in need of correction.