Bausch + Lomb
APRIL 28, 2014-BRIDGEWATER, NJ – Bausch + Lomb, a leading global eye health company, today announced it has entered into an exclusive license agreement for a three-dimensional surgical navigation technology, the Cirle Surgical Navigation System, from Cirle, Inc., a medical technology incubator based in Miami, Fla. Bausch + Lomb has agreed to license the system from Cirle to pursue commercialization for cataract surgery. This technology system is the result of the cutting-edge research collaboration between Bausch + Lomb and Cirle to develop new technologies that help fill the unmet needs of the eye health community and the patients they serve.
“Bausch + Lomb is immensely proud to have an opportunity to partner with Cirle on the commercialization of this exciting technology,” said Cal Roberts, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Bausch + Lomb. “The Cirle Surgical Navigation System will be an important addition to ophthalmic operating rooms, which we believe will help us obtain a leading position in this market category.”
“It’s very exciting to see how rapidly this technology has reached this stage of development, a testament to the productivity of industry-incubator collaborations like the unique partnership we have with Bausch + Lomb today,” said Richard Awdeh, M.D., founder and CEO, Cirle. “The era of digital surgery is upon us. Cirle has been building capabilities and expertise in this area to deliver a broad array of advanced solutions to physicians. As a surgeon myself, it’s been rewarding to work at the intersection of technology and healthcare, and to help guide our product development efforts to address the evolving needs of the surgeons that I know so well. We have built an internal team, including many specialty engineers, who are solely focused on solving unmet medical needs through technology, in this case digital surgical navigation, and we do this through partnerships with world-class commercial outfits who license and commercialize jointly in certain fields of use with Cirle.”
In late 2012, Bausch + Lomb announced its partnership with Cirle to bring together the experience and expertise of some of the world’s leading eye health experts, medical researchers and Bausch + Lomb’s global business and commercial capabilities. The forward-looking research projects include new compounds and technologies in addition to other advancements from Bausch + Lomb’s Surgical and eyecare divisions.
The Surgical Navigation System is not commercially available in the U.S. at this time.
About Cataract Surgery
According to the World Health Organization, there are about 100 million people in the world today who are 80 years old or older. That number is expected to almost quadruple by 2050. Aging is the leading cause of eye diseases, such as cataracts. A cataract is a clouding of the normally clear lens in the eye. It also happens to be the leading cause of blindness in the world. According to the U.S. National Eye Institute, cataract surgery is one of the safest, most common and effective surgical procedures. Worldwide, over 20 million cataract surgeries are performed annually. Cataract surgery is a simple procedure during which the natural lens in the patient's eye is surgically replaced with an intraocular lens (IOL).
About Bausch + Lomb
Bausch + Lomb, a Valeant Pharmaceuticals North America LLC, is a leading global eye health organization that is solely focused on protecting, enhancing, and restoring people’s eyesight. Our core businesses include ophthalmic pharmaceuticals, contact lenses, lens care products, ophthalmic surgical devices and instruments. We develop, manufacture and market one of the most comprehensive product portfolios in our industry, which are available in more than 100 countries.
About Cirle
Established in 2010 by Richard M. Awdeh, MD, Cirle is a medical technology incubator based in Miami, Fla. The company is focused on curing diseases that lead to blindness through the use of translational medical research and innovative technologies. The company develops and acquires early stage technologies, applies its specialized capabilities to refine and test them, and pursues industry collaborations to bring them to market rapidly. Offering a highly-interactive environment for inter-disciplinary innovation, Cirle has engaged leading eye health experts, engineers, and researchers who are engaged in dozens of development projects. www.cirle.com