HEIDELBERG, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Novaliq GmbH, a specialty pharmaceutical company with the first water-free technology platform that transforms poorly soluble drugs into effective therapeutics for ophthalmology, is the manufacturer of NovaTears®, a novel topical treatment of dry eye disease (DED) and meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD).
AFT Pharmaceuticals Ltd (AFT) commercializes NovaTears® across Australasia. AFT just announced that NovaTears®, its new preservative-free eye lubricant and tear film stabiliser for the treatment of Evaporative Dry Eye (EDE), has been listed on the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) from 1st September 2018.
In Australia, NovaTears® is currently available over-the-counter from pharmacies, but from September 1st it can also be prescribed on the PBS, enabling more dry eye patients to benefit from using it.
Research has shown that EDE is by far the most common type of Dry Eye Disease (DED), impacting approximately 86% of DED sufferers (50% experiencing EDE alone and a further 36% experiencing a combination of EDE and aqueous deficiency).1
“NovaTears® is a new class of dry eye therapy based on patented EyeSol® technology, which can provide relief for EDE sufferers, and fulfil a significant patient need,“ explains Dr Hartley Atkinson, pharmacologist and CEO of AFT Pharmaceuticals. “It is long-lasting and spreads very easily across the eye, providing relief without blurred vision, stinging or burning.”
Being water-free is one of the major benefits of NovaTears®, as it means there is no microbial growth possible in the solution and allows for the delivery of preservative-free drops in a convenient multi-dose bottle. NovaTears® also has a much smaller droplet size (ca. 4x smaller) than traditional water-based eye drops, which minimises spill-over.
“Clinical studies of Evaporative Dry Eye Disease and Meibomian Gland Dysfunction patients have shown significant improvement in objective signs and subjective symptoms after using NovaTears® 2”, continues Dr Atkinson. “We are very pleased to see NovaTears® listed on the PBS, allowing greater access to EDE sufferers, particularly those who are sensitive to preservatives.”
“With the positive PBS listing of NovaTears®, more dry eye patients can benefit from this new and highly efficacious treatment for Dry Eye Disease,” said Christian Roesky, CEO of Novaliq GmbH. I am confident that patients will welcome this breakthrough.”
About Novaliq
Novaliq is a pharmaceutical company for the development and commercialization of first- and best-in-class ocular therapeutics based on EyeSol®, the worldwide first water-free technology for ophthalmology. With an initial focus on dry eye disease (DED), Novaliq offers an industry-leading portfolio addressing today’s unmet medical needs of millions of eye patients: NovaTears® improves the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease (DED) and is marketed under CE-approval in Australia/New Zealand by AFT Pharmaceuticals and in Europe as EvoTears® by Ursapharm. Two drugs are in the late stage of clinical development with results expected in Q3 2018:
- CyclASol®, an anti-inflammatory and immunomodulating drug for the treatment of DED with a demonstrated early onset of action and excellent tolerability, is being evaluated in the pivotal phase 2b/3 ESSENCE trial.
- NOV03, the first drug addressing evaporative DED associated with meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), is being evaluated in the phase 2 SEECASE trial.
Headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany, Novaliq has an office in Cambridge, MA, USA. The long-term shareholder is dievini Hopp BioTech Holding, an active investor in Life and Health Sciences companies. More on www.novaliq.com
About AFT Pharmaceuticals
AFT founded in 1997 is an Auckland, New Zealand-based pharmaceuticals company operating in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. AFT has been listed on the Australian [ASX] and New Zealand [NZX] stock exchanges since December 2015 and has significant local sales operations in Australasia together with R&D activities in pain, orphan drugs and medical devices.
Sources:
1 Lemp, M.A., Crews, L.A., Bron, A.J., Foulks, G.N. and Sullivan, B.D., 2012. Distribution of aqueous-deficient and evaporative dry eye in a clinic-based patient cohort: a retrospective study. Cornea, 31(5), pp.472-478.
2 Steven, Philipp, et al. “Semifluorinated Alkane Eye Drops for Treatment of Dry Eye Disease – A Prospective, Multicenter Noninterventional Study.” Journal of Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics 31 (8), 498-503(2015) and Steven, Philipp, et al. “Semifluorinated Alkane Eye Drops for Treatment of Dry Eye Disease Due to Meibomian Gland Disease.” Journal of Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics. 33(9), 678-685(2017). Sponsored by Novaliq GmbH.
