Leo Lens Pharma Strengthens its Pipeline with New IP Protection for a Unique Atropine-based Myopia Management Solution
SAN DIEGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today, Leo Lens Pharma (formerly DBA as Leo Lens Technology Co., Inc.) announced it received a notice of allowance from the USPTO for a patent for the use of its proprietary MediPrint™ process to manufacture a contact lens capable of providing enhanced myopia management. The novel product will allow patients suffering from, or at a high risk of developing, myopia to wear a contact lens that can automatically and continuously deliver a drug to control myopia, such as low dose Atropine, to the patient’s eye. The MediPrint™ process is compatible with a variety of base contact lenses, allowing Leo Lens Pharma to pair its drug delivery technology with contact lenses designed to help slow the progression of myopia.
The use of contact lens in myopia management is not new. As the stigma of wearing glasses or spectacles leads children with myopia to look for alternatives, contact lens manufacturers have developed lenses to help slow the progression of myopia. Leo Lens Pharma aims to be the first company to pair contact lenses with the continuous delivery of drugs shown to help with myopia management.
“Myopia is a growing epidemic affecting over 2.5B people globally and we are excited to be working on a solution that could have a beneficial impact to a growing number of young patients with myopia globally,” said Praful Doshi, Founder and CTO. “Fortunately, this patent and development effort will benefit from the learnings out of our more immediate focus to help protect sight in the glaucoma market with a weekly continuous dosing therapy made possible by our unique MediPrint™ process.”
While this new patent expands Leo Lens Pharma’s IP portfolio, the Company’s lead proprietary asset is a lens to treat glaucoma. This lens is manufactured with the MediPrint™ process, which allows for the continuous release of FDA approved Bimatoprost. Considering the millions of glaucoma patients diagnosed and treated in the U.S. alone, and the countless others who are undiagnosed or untreated currently, the advent of Leo Lens Pharma’s complete solution for glaucoma treatment will benefit patients and eye care professionals alike. Leo Lens Pharma has already had a successful pre-IND meeting with the FDA to confirm its regulatory strategy and will soon be submitting an IND for a Phase 2a clinical trial with the glaucoma product.
About Leo Lens Pharma
Leo Lens Pharma (Leo Lens) is an emerging San Diego-based pharmaceutical company focused on helping protect sight. Using its proprietary MediPrint™ process, the Company will commercialize a drug-eluting, comfort-enhancing contact lens to treat millions of glaucoma patients worldwide. While eye drops have been around for over 40 years and remain the standard of care for over 90% of patients, they have only around a 50% compliance rate. This leads millions to suffer from disease progression and thousands to suffer from preventable blindness. There is a large unmet need for a better non-invasive treatment option in this $4B US market. Leo Lens’ patented MediPrint™ process offers a unique value proposition for patients, practitioners, strategic partners, and payers. Leo Lens is currently focused on advancing its lead asset, a unique and complete glaucoma treatment, to the clinic while continuing to build out its product pipeline for dry eye, allergy, myopia management, infection and other ocular diseases.
About Myopia Management
Myopia has a global prevalence of over 2.5B people and the prevalence is expected to grow to 5.0B people by 2050. Recently, studies have shown that low dose atropine can slow the progression of myopia in children (See Gong, Qianwen, et al. “Efficacy and adverse effects of atropine in childhood myopia: a meta-analysis.” JAMA ophthalmology 135.6 (2017): 624- 630). Leo Lens Pharma’s unique delivery system could allow for very low doses of atropine, or other therapeutics, to be continuously delivered to patients. This would offer a new option for myopia management to help treat, prevent, control, reduce the severity, or reduce the progression of myopia.
For more information please visit www.leolens.com.
Contacts
Company Contact:
Kenny Key
Leo Lens Pharma
858-522-0815
kkey@leolens.com
Media Contact:
Orlando Rodrigues
COR Communications
760-212-5727
orlando@orodrigues.com