• RVL Pharmaceuticals launched ELEVATE, a proprietary prescription e-commerce platform where providers and patients can order RVL products. The company says the new platform streamlines ordering through a private, secure and easy-to-use platform, unlocks growth opportunities by offering recurring revenue through refill access, enhances patient experience through convenient at-home delivery, and rewards practice and patient loyalty through subscription-based pricing. For more information about ELEVATE, visit lowlyinglids.com.

• Bausch + Lomb announced an affiliate has purchased the Blink product line of eye and contact lens drops from Johnson & Johnson Vision. Under the terms of the deal, Bausch + Lomb agreed to acquire the Blink product line for $106.5 million with cash on hand. The Blink portfolio of eyedrops consists of a variety of eyedrops and contact lens rewetting drops that provide immediate and long-lasting symptom relief. The products that are part of the acquisition include: Blink Tears Lubricating Eye Drops; Blink Tears Preservative Free Lubricating Eye Drops; Blink GelTears Lubricating Eye Drops; Blink Triple Care Lubricating Eye Drops; Blink Contacts Lubricating Eye Drops; and Blink-N-Clean Lens Drops.

• Centricity Vision announced a new study published in Clinical Ophthalmology demonstrated ZEPTO’s precision pulse capsulotomy (PPC) preserves the endothelial cells of the cornea as well as continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis (CCC or manual capsulorhexis) in cataract surgery. In the head-to-head study by Vital et al, patients treated by cataract surgeons using either PPC or CCC had the same degree of endothelial cell loss, well within the acceptable margin needed to prevent complications. The findings from the study revealed no statistical difference in endothelial cell density between patients who received PPC or CCC at the 1-month or 3-month postoperative time points, and no statistical difference in the percentage of hexagonal cells or CV were found between patients who received PPC or CCC at the 1-month or 3-month postoperative time points. For more, see the study results here.

• Intelligent Retinal Imaging Systems (IRIS) announced a partnership with AEYE Health. Under the agreement, IRIS will license AEYE Diagnostic Screening (AEYE-DS) from AEYE Health, which is an FDA-cleared AI technology that seamlessly integrates with the IRIS Solution. IRIS says this partnership allows its customers to use AEYE-DS for the autonomous detection of diabetic retinopathy (DR) alongside the IRIS Solution and receive an instantaneous result using only one image per eye. In an FDA clinical study (clearance K221183) for the detection of more-than-mild DR, the AEYE-DS was found to have 93% sensitivity and over 91.4% specificity using one image per eye captured by the Topcon NW400 fundus camera.

• Horizon Therapeutics announced the presentation of a new analysis of MRI data from the Phase 3 clinical trial of UPLIZNA (inebilizumab-cdon) showing a reduction in the formation of subclinical (asymptomatic) transverse myelitis lesions in people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). The N-MOmentum pivotal trial (NCT02200770) demonstrated that UPLIZNA effectively reduced the formation of subclinical MRI lesions while also showing an association between subclinical spinal cord lesions and future attacks. Of the 134 pivotal trial participants with full neuroaxis MRI and no new NMOSD symptoms at the end of the 28-week RCP, 20 (15%) were found to have asymptomatic MRI lesions on the spinal cord. These lesions were shorter than attack-associated lesions and were less frequent among those receiving UPLIZNA.

• Hilco Vision earned Drug Distributor Accreditation from the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy for its North Las Vegas facility — a wholesaler distributor of optical and ophthalmic products that distributes and stores prescription and over-the-counter drugs and medical devices. This accreditation process required Hilco to demonstrate compliance to a comprehensive set of regulatory standards and best practices in safely distributing prescription drugs from manufacturers to pharmacies and other institutions. 

• Viridian Therapeutics announced positive preliminary data from its ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical trial of VRDN-001, an investigational full antagonist antibody to the insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor, in patients with chronic thyroid eye disease (TED). VRDN-001 data demonstrated clinically meaningful and rapid improvement in signs and symptoms of chronic TED at week 6 after receiving two infusions of VRDN-001 10 mg/kg or 3 mg/kg. Patients treated with VRDN-001 had lower mean proptosis at baseline when compared with placebo (25.0 mm). In addition, there was a 50% to 72% reduction in mean CAS at week 6 compared with mean baseline levels in patients treated with VRDN-001. For more, see the study results here.

• Cognition Therapeutics dosed the first participant in the Phase 2 MAGNIFY study of CT1812, an experimental therapy being developed for the treatment of geographic atrophy (GA) secondary to dry AMD. The MAGNIFY study (COG2201, NCT05893537) is a randomized, placebo-controlled trial that is expected to enroll approximately 246 adults who have been diagnosed with dry AMD with measurable GA. CT1812 will be given orally, once daily for 24 months to determine if it can slow disease progression as measured by changes in GA lesion size.

• UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers identified a gene called Lipe that appears to be pivotal to retinal health, with mutations spurring immune activation and retinal degeneration. The findings, published in Communications Biology, provide clues about the mechanisms behind a variety of disorders affecting the retina, including macular degeneration and DR. Using forward genetics, the researchers generated nearly 6,000 mutant mice that were screened for markers of immune activation in the retina. They identified several genes including Lipe that, when mutated, caused these animals to develop spots visible in the fundus. Narrowing their focus to Lipe, they used a genetic technique to turn off its function in another group of mice. Their results showed that mice without a functioning Lipe gene also had fundus spots, confirming that this gene plays an unexpected role in regulating immune activity in the retina. Further investigation showed that when Lipe was inactivated, the outer layers of the retina degenerated, causing vision loss in these animals over time. For more, see the study results here. 

Quick Notes is published weekly. Unless otherwise noted, the information presented is based on press releases. Find earlier editions here. To submit a press release to be considered for publication, click here.