WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Avedro, Inc. and Hersh Vision Group announced today that Dr. Peter Hersh has treated the first patient in a physician sponsored Investigational New Drug (IND) study for the Safety and Efficacy of the Keraflex Microwave System. Recruiting for additional eligible patients with keratoconus has now begun.
Dr. Hersh remarked, “Keraflex, combined with corneal collagen cross-linking, is a promising new technology to flatten the protruding cone of keratoconus and make the irregular cornea smoother. Early experience internationally has shown improvements in the keratoconic cornea that we have not seen with past technologies. This should help improve contact lens wear and vision with glasses in patients with keratoconus, a cornea problem that is difficult to correct. We hope that Keraflex can help avoid cornea transplants in many patients who otherwise might have no other alternative.”
The Keraflex refractive correction procedure is a microwave-based, non-incision ophthalmic procedure for flattening the cornea without the removal of tissue. The treatment takes less than a second, and is enhanced through a subsequent treatment of corneal collagen cross-linking using Avedro’s KXL™ accelerated cross-linking system.
“We are pleased that Dr. Hersh is able to offer Keraflex combined with KXL cross-linking as a potential treatment for his keratoconic patients,” said David Muller, PhD, CEO of Avedro. “This system has been in use outside the United States for several years and the initial studies have been very promising.”
Peter S. Hersh, M.D. can be reached at the Hersh Vision Group in Teaneck, New Jersey; 201-883-0505; www.vision-institute.com . Keraflex has received CE Mark and is commercially available in over 30 countries. Keraflex is not approved for use in the United States.
About Avedro, Inc.
Avedro (www.avedro.com) is a privately held medical device and pharmaceutical company developing the science of Thermo-biomechanics and advancing the science of corneal collagen cross-linking for therapeutic medical applications. The Company’s advanced cross-linking technology makes the treatment of keratoconus and post-LASIK ectasia safer, faster and more comfortable, while also making possible an entirely new cross-linking procedure, Lasik Xtra™, which restores the cornea’s biomechanical integrity following the creation of the LASIK flap. Avedro has obtained CE Mark for Keraflex, the KXL System for accelerated cross-linking, and its family of riboflavins. Avedro products are not for sale in the US.