In Brief

Aerie announced FDA approval of Rocklatan 0.02%/0.005%, its netarsudil and latanoprost ophthalmic solution to reduce IOP in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. Aerie plans to launch Rocklatan, a once-daily eye drop, in the second quarter of 2019.

Alcon acquired PowerVision, Inc., a privately held, U.S.-based medical device company. PowerVision’s focus is fluid-based IOL implants; commercial availability of its IOL technology will be determined following additional development and clinical trials.

Aldeyra Therapeutics announced positive results from its Phase 3 ALLEVIATE trial of 0.25% and 0.5% reproxalap topical ophthalmic solution, for patients with allergic conjunctivitis. The trial met the primary and secondary endpoints for both concentrations of reproxalap.

Four new providers — Providence Health Plan in the Pacific Northwest, Health New England, HealthPartners Minnesota, and Public Employees Health Plan in Utah — have issued positive coverage policies for Avedro’s FDA-approved corneal cross-linking procedure, covering the system and its associated Photrexa drug formulations.

Bausch + Lomb began U.S. distribution of Lotemax SM 0.38%, a gel drop formulation of loteprednol etabonate for use with SubMicron technology, for treatment of postoperative inflammation following ocular surgery.

EyePoint’s Dexycu (dexamethasone intraocular suspension) 9% is now available in the United States. Dexycu is an FDA-approved intraocular steroid to treat postoperative inflammation; it is a dropless treatment administered as a single dose at the end of cataract surgery.

Modernizing Medicine announced its specialty-specific EHR, EMA, will interface with GoodRx, to connect doctors with real-time pricing on thousands of drugs available at pharmacies across the United States.

The Ophthalmic Photographers’ Society is celebrating 50 years as the “eye imaging experts.” The non-profit organization counts more than 1,000 members from 27 countries and includes photographers, technicians, physicians, scientists, vendors, and students. Membership is open to anyone with an interest in ophthalmic photography. OPS will celebrate the anniversary throughout this year, culminating with the society’s Annual Educational Program in San Francisco in October. For details of celebratory activities and OPS educational programs and opportunities, visit www.opsweb.org , the OPS Facebook page or contact Barbara McCalley, OPS executive director, at ops@opsweb.org or (800) 403-1677.

Quantel Medical received FDA approval for its new ultrasound platform, the ABSolu. The ABSolu, which replaces Quantel’s flagship Aviso ultrasound system, has several new features, including a 70% increase in depth of field and higher image quality of the anterior chamber and lens.

Topcon’s recently unveiled Maestro Unlimited integrates the Maestro 3D OCT with the Topcon Harmony web-based data management application. Maestro Unlimited gives access to an automated OCT/fundus camera imaging system with a secure archive for exam data.

The Rapid SLT, Volk’s newest lens, provides four high-resolution views of the angle to enhance ease-of-use by minimizing the need for lens rotation, effectively reducing the SLT procedure time by half. The four views offered by the lens reduce the number of laser shots by 25%, increasing patient comfort.

Ziemer USA, a manufacturer of femtosecond ophthalmic lasers and biometric devices, announced the appointment of Brad Hurt to its executive U.S. leadership team as vice president of business development.