Novartis to acquire Encore Vision as it finds answer for presbyopia

Encore recently developed a topical treatment called EVO6, currently in clinical testing phase. No price or other specific details about the acquisition have been disclosed, pending regulatory approval.There is presently no available regulated drug or known treatment to prevent the progression of presbyopia.{{quote-A:R-W:500-I:2-Q: Novartis confirms its leadership in ophthalmology by entering another new therapy area. The addition of this topical disease modifying treatment to our portfolio, if successful, will provide affected people with a new option to improve and maintain their vision and quality of life, -WHO:Mr Vasant Narasimhan, Head, Drug Development and Chief Medical Officer of Novartis Global}}Current therapeutic practice to redy presbyopia is with the use of corrective lenses however, this redy doesn’t reverse the condition.According to Mr Vasant Narasimhan, Novartis global head, drug development and chief medical officer, There is a large need for innovative, effective and safe treatment options for people with presbyopia, and there is currently no disease-modifying treatment available at all. Novartis confirms its leadership in ophthalmology by entering another new therapy area. The addition of this topical disease modifying treatment to our portfolio, if successful, will provide affected people with a new option to improve and maintain their vision and quality of life, Narasimhan added.Encore’s EVO6 is an experimental product currently undergoing a series of clinical tests. Initial results were very promising according to reports, where it showed significant improvent in 82% of the 50 test subjects treated with the drug for 90 days. It has already passed the initial FDA Phase 2 clinical tests with US patents approved and foreign patents pending.Presbyopia is becoming a health concern with around 80% of adults above 45 years old suffering from it. There are around 1.8 billion people worldwide affected by presbyopia, where an estimated 100 million are in the US.Another study published by the American Acady of Opthalmology reported that potential productivity loss due to uncorrected and under–corrected presbyopia was at US$11.02 billion in 2011 in the US alone.