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Media Fact Sheet
Novartis in
Ophthalmology
The medical retina
pipeline includes
investigational
treatments in
late-stage clinical
development, for both
dry and wet AMD
Novartis is dedicated
to the research,
development and
manufacturing
of ophthalmic
pharmaceuticals
Novartis’ commitment in ophthalmology
Novartis is dedicated to the research, development and manufacturing of
ophthalmic pharmaceuticals and devices. The mission of Novartis in the
field of ophthalmology is to discover, develop and manufacture innovative
products to improve eye health and enhance people’s lives.
Novartis businesses specifically dedicated to eye health include Alcon, the
leading eye care business in the world and the company’s second largest
growth platform behind Pharmaceuticals. Part of Alcon is CIBA Vision,
which is committed to the research, development and manufacturing of
optical and ophthalmic products and services.
Both Novartis Pharma Ophthalmics and Alcon/Ciba Vision, address unmet
medical needs of patients in a complementary fashion to treat eye diseases,
vision conditions and common refractory errors.
Lucentis
In 2006 Novartis launched Lucentis® (ranibizumab), a humanized therapeutic
antibody fragment, for the treatment of ocular conditions. Lucentis is approved
in more than 100 countries for the treatment of patients with wet age-related
macular degeneration (wet AMD), for the treatment of visual impairment due
to diabetic macular edema (DME) and for the treatment of macular edema
secondary to retinal vein occlusion (RVO). Lucentis is approved in more
than 60 countries to treat patients with visual impairment due to choroidal
neovascularization (CNV) secondary to pathologic myopia (myopic CNV). In
most European countries Lucentis is administered for the treatment of wet
AMD, DME, RVO and myopic CNV to patients on an individualized basis
with the goal of maximizing visual outcomes for each individual patient whilst
minimizing the risks of over- or under-treating.
LUMINOUS™
Heritage
The Novartis Pharma division partnered with QLT Inc (transferred
to Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc in September 2012)
to launch the first therapeutic treatment approved worldwide for the
treatment of certain forms of wet AMD, Visudyne® (verteporfin) PDT.
Today, Novartis Pharma markets and develops Lucentis, the first
anti-VEGF approved for four different indications.
Founded in 1945, Alcon has grown from a small ophthalmic shop,
to a global business with a focus on surgical, pharmaceutical and
vision care products. In March 2012, Alcon announced that it had
gained exclusive rights to commercialize Jetrea® (ocriplasmin) outside
the United States for the treatment of vitreomacular traction (VMT).
Jetrea was approved by the European Commission on 15 March
2013 and is becoming available across Europe for the treatment
of vitreomacular traction (VMT), including when associated with
macular hole, in adults.
Novartis has launched LUMINOUS™, one of the largest global observational
studies in ophthalmology to date, aiming to advance the understanding of
retinal vascular diseases that cause vision loss and to evaluate the long-term
effectiveness and safety profile of Lucentis in routine clinical practice across
large populations. The program is designed to allow patients, physicians and
other healthcare professionals to record and monitor visual acuity and other
patient-reported outcomes. In addition, the program will act as a robust
post-market surveillance tool. Currently, more than 20,000 patients are
enrolled in this study.
XOVA
Novartis and Alcon sponsor the “eXcellence in Ophthalmology Vision Award”
(XOVA). XOVA is an annual award launched in 2010 that provides funding
to support innovative, sustainable projects to non-profit initiatives that aim to
reduce the burden of blindness. There have been 11 awards to date and the
scope of projects from the 2012 applications included: improving eye care in
children, reaching rural communities, providing training and education,
building or expanding eye-care centers, and installing or improving technology.
Novartis Pharma AG
CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland
© 2014 Novartis Pharma AG