July 6, 2023
VAUGHAN, Ontario — With the recent announcements of acquisitions of XIIDRA and Blink following the FDA approval of Miebo, Bausch + Lomb Corp. has substantially and quickly expanded its dry eye offerings.
Bausch + Lomb announced an affiliate has purchased the Blink product line of eye and contact lens drops from Johnson & Johnson Vision.* The strategic acquisition is the latest example of the company’s commitment to increasing over-the-counter (OTC) consumer convenience in eye care.
“There’s a growing need for relieving the symptoms of dry eyes and dry contact lenses, and OTC products are often the first option consumers choose,” said John Ferris, executive vice president, Consumer, Bausch + Lomb. “The addition of Blink expands our robust portfolio of OTC eye care brands, enabling us to provide more choices for consumers and eye care professionals.”
This announcement follows the global eye health company’s recent news about the acquisition of XIIDRA. On June 30th, the company reported that it had entered into a definitive agreement with Novartis under which Bausch + Lomb will acquire XIIDRA (lifitegrast ophthalmic solution 5%), a non-steroid eye drop specifically approved to treat the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease (DED), focusing on inflammation associated with dry eye.
“Dry eye disease is multi-factorial and can stem from varying root causes, which means differing treatment options are needed,” said Marguerite McDonald, MD, FACS, OCLI Vision, Oceanside, N.Y. “With the acquisition of XIIDRA and recent approval of Miebo, Bausch + Lomb enhances its approach to different facets of dry eye and is well positioned to ensure both medicines reach as many patients as possible.”
Miebo (perfluorohexyloctane ophthalmic solution), was approved by the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the first and only approved eye drop for DED that directly targets tear evaporation. XIIDRA and Miebo work differently to target distinct elements of the DED cycle.
As part of the XIIDRA transaction, Bausch + Lomb will also acquire libvatrep (also known as SAF312), an investigational compound being studied for the treatment of chronic ocular surface pain, and AcuStream technology, an investigational device that may have the potential to facilitate precise dosing and accurate delivery of certain topical ophthalmic medications to the eye.1,2 Libvatrep is currently in Phase 2b development with study results expected in the third quarter of 2023.
The most common eye side effect seen in studies was blurred vision (1% to 3% of patients reported blurred vision and eye redness).
References
1 Quiroz-Mercado H, Ivri E, Gonzalez-Salinas R, et al. Clinical evaluation of a novel electromechanical topical ocular drug delivery system: two phase 1 proof of concept studies. Clin Ophthalmol. 2020;14:139-147.
2 Data on file. AcuStream repetitive acute and real-time delivery study. Novartis, 2022.
*Johnson & Johnson Vision represents the products and services of Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision, Inc., Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. and the affiliates of both.
