Adventus Technology Inc is currently developing two refractive correction products to address the needs of all people with distance and near refractive errors and cataract. These products are Corneal Onlay (also called “Onlay”) and Dynamic Vision Gel (“DV Gel”).
Corneal Onlay is intended to be a simple, predictable, reversible, sub-corneal epithelial implant and an alternative to contact lenses, spectacles and, especially, refractive surgery procedures (such as LASIK and PRK) for myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism and presbyopia.
Dynamic Vision Gel is designed to replace the natural (aging) crystalline lens with a polymer gel, thereby restoring vision over all focal distances for presbyopes (people who need reading glasses, a category which also includes emmetropes, myopes, astigmats) and for those undergoing cataract surgery.
At present, the Corneal Onlay and DV Gel products are for investigational use only and are not currently available through commercial markets.
WORLDWIDE POTENTIAL MARKET
At one time or another during life, almost everyone will become a candidate for ophthalmic refractive correction. This might occur as the result of a congenital or developmental defect such as myopia, hyperopia or astigmatism; present in later years such as presbyopia, as part of the natural aging process, or as a result of eye disease, such as cataract. The potential market is extremely large.
Over 50% of the worldwide population has either a distance or near refractive error defect. (source: 2008, MarketSource) Persons having a distance defect or near refractive error defect are potential candidates for either of these two products.
DV Gel is designed to correct both distance and near vision for people with presbyopia (23% of the world’s population) and cataracts (1-2% of the world’s population) either on its own or, for higher refractive errors, in combination with either Onlay or a patented mini-lens inside the gel.
COMPANY PRODUCTS AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
The first two products that Adventus will bring to market are Corneal Onlay and DV Gel. Vision CRC has invested 15 years in the development of these two new products.
Previous Vision CRC successes include silicone hydrogel contact lenses which were co-developed with an industry partner and which have rapidly captured some $2 billion in annual sales. When developed, fully approved and commercialised, these two Adventus products have the potential to generate significantly more revenues than silicone hydrogel contact lenses.
Through its licensing arrangement with Viscorp, Vision CRC’s commercialisation vehicle and Adventus’ principle shareholder, Adventus maintains strong intellectual property protection through 20 issued patents, three pending and two applications for patents protecting these two products in the United States. Certain of these patents are also protected in most of the world.
Adventus has obtained an exclusive worldwide license from Viscorp to market and sell both products whilst the research collaborators have retained the right to conduct further research using the licensed intellectual property and have retained the right to use the intellectual property for other applications.
BIOLOGICAL TESTING
Onlay
The Onlay material has been tested in biological models for two years with excellent biocompatibility results.
DV-Gel
Iterations of the DV-Gel have been injected for short periods of time (up to two months) to check efficacy and biocompatibility. Biological models trials have been conducted successfully for up to two months.
No long term biocompatibility tests have yet been undertaken.
MANUFACTURING
The products are currently being manufactured in Australia by collaborators of Adventus for research and clinical studies. Sites for scale up are being investigated in India, Germany, Australia and the United States.
Products