Top Device Companies

“Bausch & Lomb Gets Break By Judge In Contact Lens Solution Case

Baush & Lomb got a break in a continuing trial over alleged personal injuries caused by its contact lens solution. The judge in the federal court in New York City barred testimony by a physician for the plaintiffs during a pre-trial hearing. Several suits have been brought against Baush & Lomb alleging its solution caused serious rare fungal eye infections, and the suits were combined into one package for the proceedings. The plaintiffs want the physician to testify on what that judge called an unsupported and flawed hypothesis. (Click here for more – a subscription may be required)

“Judge Excludes Testimony In Bausch & Lomb Case” – Wall Street Journal (8/31/09)

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Bausch & Lomb Still Settling 600 Suits Over Lens Cleaner

Bausch & Lomb has been working for the past four years to settle nearly 600 lawsuits over its ReNu with MostureLoc lens cleaner. So far, the company has spent about $250 million to settle the suits that claim a previously rare fungal infection was caused by Bausch & Lomb’s cleaner made using a new formula. To settle the cases quietly, the company went private in 2007 to “avoid distraction,” the firm’s CEO said. (Click here for more)

“Bausch & Lomb Quietly Settles 600 Lawsuits Over Eye Fungus From Contact-Lens Solution” – Minneapolis Star Tribune (5/31/09)

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Cataract and Refractive Surgery: Hoping For a Rebound

Article preview reprinted from Medtech Insight - May 2009

April's annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery took place against of the darkest market backdrops in memory. The mood at ASCRS was not all gloom and doom, however. Cataract and refractive surgery technology continues to advance and a number of new product were introduced at the meeting.

Abbott, Alcon, Bausch & Lomb Escape New FDA LASIK Advisory

Abbott Laboratories, Alcon,Bausch & Lomb and other makers of eye devices avoided new FDA rules concerning the advertising for LASIK surgery. The FDA ordered the health practitioners to be more transparent about the possible risks involved with the lasers and other products. The advice is the result of complaints by the public about adverse effects from the surgery to improve vision. The agency’s warning letter did not mention practices of the device makers, already reeling from a reduced demand for what is considered to be elective surgery. (Click here for more)

“LASIK Ads Must Warn Consumers Of Risks: FDA” – Reuters (5/22/09)

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Difficult Days for Laser Vision Correction Market and AMO

Article preview from Medtech Insight - January 2009

As economic conditions worsened over the course of 2008, consumers pulled back on discretionary, big-ticket purchases, directly impacting laser vision correction volume trends in the US, including the popular LASIK procedure. At the same time, the cataract surgery market seems to be recession-proof.

Abbott buys AMO, Gets Double-Digit Growth Segment

Article preview from IN VIVO - January 2009

The ophthalmic industry has traditionally stood alone, with its own device and pharmaceutical companies selling products marketed to specialists. So the announcement on January 12 that diversified giant Abbott Laboratories Inc. would acquire Advanced Medical Optics was initially astonishing, as was the hefty premium that Abbott offered. Perhaps Abbott was willing to pay more than it otherwise would have because of the recent divestiture of its Abbott Spine business. In AMO, Abbott is getting a business that almost can't fail to grow by double digits (despite recent economic stresses on the laser vision correction market) because of the demographics of the ophthalmology industry and improving margins on products like intraocular lenses, which serve the burgeoning elderly cataract patient population.