Practice Pulse
Tips, Trends & News You Can Use

Proclear Compatibles Toric Lenses Launched

Biocompatibles Eyecare has put its new Proclear Compatibles Toric lenses on the market. The lenses should be available for order throughout the United States and Canada by summer.

Proclear Compatibles, like the rest of the Proclear line, are the only lenses with a Food and Drug Administration indication for fitting patients with dry eye. The indication stems from the fact that the material retains 96% of its water content over 12 hours, which helps keep vision stable -- an especially important attribute in a toric.

Last fall, the Compatibles Toric Lenses were launched on a limited basis in North America while inventory was built up. The lenses are made of omafilcon A, the same polymer the company uses in its other Proclear products, and are approved for daily wear with a recommended 1-month replacement schedule.

NEW YORK TIMES WARNS AGAINST 1-800 CONTACTS
Newspaper Cites Investment Risk Rising from Legal Issues

In a January 6 article in The New York Times, Gretchen Morgenson warns that though 1-800 Contacts may look like a cheap stock to investors, looks can be deceiving.

The article details the company's ongoing legal battles with the state of Texas and with Vistakon, and the author also describes how she ordered contact lenses from 1-800 Contacts with a fictitious doctor's name and telephone number since she had no prescription. The company promptly filled her order.

Morgenson concluded that protection for New York consumers may lie in a law passed in 2000 requiring out-of-state pharmacies to register with New York state before they could sell drugs to state residents. But of course that depends on whether the law applies to companies selling medical devices, which remains unclear. In summary, said Morgenson, "Buyer -- and investor -- beware."

CIBA VISION HOSTS CW SYMPOSIUM
Continuous Wear Summit

K In conjunction with the launch of its new silicone hydrogel continuous wear lens, Ciba Vision held a Continuous Wear Summit in Atlanta in January to educate practitioners from around the globe about the new contact lens category. Various experts from Australia, Canada, Europe and the United States met to share their clinical experiences and research.

The new generation of high Dk lens materials was heralded as a major advancement that will drive the future of healthier contact lens wear. The world-class faculty included the following people:

• * Jim Kerr, O.D.
• * Karen Wilson, O.D.
• * Nish Rajani, O.D.
• * John McNally, O.D.
• * Lynn Winnerton, Ph.D.
• * Scott Robirds, O.D.
• * Joseph Barr, O.D., MS
• * Brien Holden, Ph.D.
• * H. Dwight Cavanagh, M.D., Ph.D.
• * Lyndon Jones, Ph.D., FCOptom
• * Kathy Dumbleton, MSc, MCOptom
• * Patrick Caroline, F.C.L.S.A.
• * Robin Chalmers, O.D.
• * Ray Fortescue, B Optom
• * Brian Tompkins, BSc, FCOptom
• * Glen Bradley, Ph.D.
• * Steve Osbaldeston
• * Tom Steiner
• * Richard Weisbarth, O.D.
• * Dwight Akerman, O.D.
• * Warren Modlin, Dip Optom.

O.D. NOTEBOOK

PEOPLE AND PROMOTIONS

• Staar appoints new CFO. Staar Surgical has appointed John C. Bily as its CFO. Bily succeeds John S. Santos.
• SOLA president exits, vp takes over. Mark Ashcroft, vice president of European commercial operations for SOLA International, is now the company's president of American commercial operations following Brett Olson's resignation.
• SECO appointment. James Vrac, formerly with the American Academy of Optometry, has been appointed executive director of SECO International, replacing Sam Galloway.

COMPANY NEWS

Isis and Eyetech sign agreement. Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has entered into an intellectual property licensing agreement with Eyetech Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which has licensed Isis's patents necessary for Eyetech to develop, make and commercialize EYE001, a non-antisense compound for the treatment of ophthalmic diseases.

Eyetech will pay Isis upfront fees, milestone and royalty payments in the multi-million-dollar transaction in exchange for non-exclusive, worldwide rights to the intellectual property licensed from Isis.

COOPERVISION TO BUY BIOCOMPATIBLES EYECARE, INC.

CooperVision has signed a definitive agreement to purchase Biocompatibles Eyecare, Inc., the contact lens business of Biocompatibles International.

The deal is expected to close before April 1.