The European Patent Office has granted OcuMedic the patent Contact Drug Delivery System covering the company’s intellectual property for timed-release delivery of drugs directly to the eye through prescription, soft contact lenses.
The claims allowed by the patent cover extended-wear contacts that deliver a wide variety of drugs for the treatment of conditions such as glaucoma and dry eye. The contacts also provide controlled release of anti-inflammatory, antibiotic and pain-reducing drugs for post-operative care for procedures such as cataract surgery and LASIK.
“The European patent extends the company’s intellectual property coverage to the important European market valued at US$16.7B annually,” said OcuMedic CEO Keith Ignotz. “This latest grant brings to 10 the number of patents in our portfolio, covering the two largest target markets – Europe and the United States. The technology places the delivery of ophthalmic drugs in the hands of the physician, relieving the patient of the therapeutic burden of having to remember to self-deliver drops while guaranteeing the drug is reaching the target tissue.”
“This additional patent is an important validation of our novel approach to delivering the best eye care possible to a large number of people suffering from poor vision or diseases of the eye,” said Rowan University biomedical engineering professor, Dr Mark Byrne, who invented the technology. “Our goal is to extend and enhance the gift of sight for as many as possible, and our new technology provides a better way to better eye health.”
