Bausch + Lomb Corporation (“Bausch + Lomb”) and AcuFocus, Inc. (“AcuFocus”) today announced that an affiliate of Bausch + Lomb has acquired AcuFocus, pursuant to a merger transaction with the parent company of AcuFocus.
AcuFocus has delivered breakthrough small aperture intraocular technology to address the diverse unmet needs in eye care, including the IC-8 Apthera intraocular lens (IOL), which was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in July 2022 as the first and only small aperture non-toric extended depth of focus (EDOF) IOL for certain cataract patients who have as much as 1.5 diopters of corneal astigmatism and wish to address presbyopia at the same time.
Known as the IC-8 IOL in global markets, this IOL is available in select markets across Europe, as well as in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.
Cataracts are a common condition affecting an estimated 94 million people globally.1 In fact, the global premium cataract IOL market is projected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of approximately 13 percent between 2022 and 2027.2
In the United States alone, an estimated 24 million people have cataracts, a number that is expected to grow to 50 million by 2050.3
Cataracts can only be treated with surgery in which the cloudy natural lens is removed and an IOL is implanted.4 Many patients receive a monofocal IOL at the time of cataract surgery, which may correct for distance vision, but not for presbyopia.
Some available presbyopia-correcting IOLs have complex optics that split, shift or stretch light to provide clear vision at more than one discrete focal point. In contrast, the IC-8 Apthera IOL features proprietary small aperture technology that enables both distance vision correction and near vision correction to mitigate the effects of presbyopia.
“Cataracts are the largest contributor to global blindness in adults aged 50 years and older, with more than 15 million individuals, or approximately 45 percent of the more than 33 million cases of global blindness.5 We believe that the IC-8 Apthera EDOF IOL will bolster our surgical portfolio by enhancing our IOL offerings, which is a strategic area of focus for Bausch + Lomb,” said Joseph C. Papa, CEO, Bausch + Lomb. “We will continue to focus on areas of unmet medical need that we believe will help drive long-term growth in our core segments, and importantly, help us achieve our mission of helping people see better to live better.”
"Bausch + Lomb is a legacy name in eye care with a fully integrated portfolio of offerings in eye health,” said Al Waterhouse, president and CEO, AcuFocus. “With its extensive development footprint and renowned commercial expertise, we believe Bausch + Lomb is best positioned to educate physicians about the IC-8 Apthera lens, and ultimately, ensure more cataract patients have access to this new IOL.”
About the IC-8 Apthera IOL
The IC-8 Apthera IOL is a wavefront-filtering intraocular lens for unilateral implantation in patients who have been diagnosed with bilateral operable cataracts, have as much as 1.5 diopters of corneal astigmatism in the implanted eye and who do not have a history of retinal disease and are not predisposed to experience retinal disease in the future.
This IOL, compared to a monofocal or monofocal toric IOL, provides an extended range of vision from distance through near.
As with any cataract surgery, risks of complications exist whether or not the IOL is implanted. The complications of IOL implantation surgery range from minor side effects (usually temporary) to serious complications. Patients with a history of previous illnesses or disorders of the eye may have a higher risk of complications. Patients with a history of retinal disease or those predisposed to retinal disease must not be implanted with the IOL.
As with other extended depth of focus IOLs, further surgical treatment (such as IOL replacement for a different lens) may be needed after implantation of the IOL.
A full list of benefits and risks associated with the IC-8 Apthera IOL will be available in the Directions For Use and the Patient Information Brochure.
BofA Securities served as exclusive financial advisor to AcuFocus in this transaction. Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP served as legal advisor to Bausch + Lomb, and Latham & Watkins LLP served as legal advisor to AcuFocus.
References
The World Health Organization: Blindness and Vision impairment. Retrieved Dec. 12, 2022.
Market Scope. 2022 IOL Market Report (April 2022).
National Eye Institute. NEI charts a clearer future for cataract prevention and treatment. Retrieved Dec. 12, 2022.
National Eye Institute. Cataracts. Retrieved Jan. 14, 2023.
Steinmetz, J. D., Bourne, R. R., Briant, P. S., Flaxman, S. R., Taylor, H. R., Jonas, J. B., ... & Morse, A. R. F. (2021). Causes of blindness and vision impairment in 2020 and trends over 30 years, and prevalence of avoidable blindness in relation to VISION 2020: the Right to Sight: an analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study. The Lancet Global Health, 9(2), e144-e160. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30489-7