NovaTears®+Omega-3, an innovative dry eye treatment in-licensed and distributed in Australia and New Zealand by AFT Pharmaceuticals, is a significantly effective treatment for evaporative Dry Eye Disease (DED), a new clinical study1 has found.
Dry Eye is a multifactorial and common disease. The 2020 Vision Index showed 77% of Australians have experienced dry eye2, yet currently there are a limited number of medicines available to specifically target evaporative DED and relieve ocular symptoms, which include reddened and inflamed eyes and eyelid margins or encrusted eyelids.
Evaporative DED is caused by excessive tear evaporation due to an abnormal tear film lipid layer, or dysfunction of the meibomian glands, the sole natural source of tear lipid producing glands which line the margin of the eyelids.
NovaTears®+Omega-3 combines for the first time the highly effective tear film stabilizer perfluorohexyloctane with a high quality, vegan sourced Omeg-3 fatty acid. It was developed in Germany’s Novaliq and was shown to deliver clinically relevant and statistically significant improvements in dry eye symptoms in a recent study of 36 patients over eight weeks.
The improvements were evident on a broad range of measures including total corneal staining (NEI scale)4 and Tear Film Break-up Time (TFBUT)5 over the course of the study.
Of particular interest was the Meibomian Gland Assessment (MGD) score which improved from an entry level score of 7.1 to 3.0 (p<0.0001) over the course of the study. The latter result supports the hypothesis that the treatment might liquify meibum secretion excreted from the meibomian glands.
AFT Managing Director Hartley Atkinson said: “Since launching Novaliq’s NovaTears® in 2018 and NovaTears®+Omega-3 in 2020, demand for the products has grown rapidly.
“In the last year alone, we have moved from the number three to number two position in the lubrication eyecare category in Australia6 with sales growth from the NovaTears® range contributing to our growth.
“This study confirms what our customers already know: NovaTears®+Omega-3 and NovaTears® are effective treatments that deliver significant improvements in the symptoms of DED.
“AFT works to improve health by identifying health needs and working with industry leaders such as Novaliq to distribute clinically proven solutions to improve health outcomes in our markets.
“Novaliq is leading the way with high quality DED products that are the first of their kind and offer a significant point of difference to competitors. It is gratifying to be able to help people who suffer from this debilitating disease.”
Novaliq Managing Director and CEO Christian Roesky Ph.D. said: “Novaliq is focused on the development and commercialisation of first-and best-in-class ocular therapeutics. We are delighted with the results of this study, which further affirm our confidence in NovaTears®+Omega-3 and clinical value we bring to patients.
“The product is the only one of its type available and it highlights the success of our drive to provide enhanced solutions for addressing dry eye. We are delighted our partner AFT has been so successful in bringing our products to people in Australasia.”
Footnotes
1. Novaliq multi-centre, single arm, post-market clinical follow-up study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of NovaTears+Omega-3 (0.2%) eye drops on signs and symptoms of dry eye
2. The 2020 Vision Index, an Optometry Australia inititive “Taking a closer look at Australia’s eye health”, pp.10
3. Lemp, M.A., Crews, L.A., Bron, A.J., Foulks, G. 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.
4. NEI Corneal staining is a measure of cornel and conjunctival damage
5. Tear Film Break Up Time is a measure of tear stability and rate of tear loss by evaporation
6. iRI Report MAT 04/07/21 Australia Pharmacy Value
For more information:
Investors
Dr Hartley Atkinson – Managing Director
AFT Pharmaceuticals
Tel: +64 9488 0232
Media
Richard Inder
The Project
Tel: +64 21 645 643
About AFT Pharmaceuticals
AFT is a growing multinational pharmaceutical company that develops, markets, and distributes a broad portfolio of pharmaceutical products across a wide range of therapeutic categories which are distributed across all major pharmaceutical distribution channels: over the counter (OTC), prescription and hospital. Our product portfolio comprises both proprietary and in-licensed products, and includes patented, branded, and generic drugs. Our business model is to develop and in-license products for sale by our own dedicated sales teams in our home markets of Australia and New Zealand and in certain Southeast Asian markets, and to out-license our products to local licensees and distributors to over 125 countries around the world. For more information about the company, visit our website www.aftpharm.com
