Kubota Vision Secures Multiple eyeMO Device Agreements

Kubota Vision Inc. is teaming up with two companies to develop, manufacture, supply, and sell its eyeMO ophthalmic self-monitoring OCT device.

The Japanese firm has executed an agreement (a letter of intent, actually) with AUROLAB (Madurai, India) and another with IQVIA. The AUROLAB deal provides the Indian company with an exclusive license to develop, manufacture, and distribute eyeMO in its core markets—ndia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, as well as select underserved markets in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. “We are happy to align with Kubota Vision in making the portable OCT a much-needed device for low-resource settings, especially when patients’ access to eye clinics is challenging,” AUROLAB Managing Director R.D. Sriram stated.
 
AUROLAB manufactures a wide range of ophthalmic consumables such as intraocular lenses, surgical sutures, pharmaceutical products, surgical blades, and equipment. It is the manufacturing facility of Aravind Eye Care Hospital (AECS), and performs more than 4.5 million surgeries and treatments annually—one of the world’s highest numbers of annual surgeries. It offers numerous services, including eye exams, surgeries, and rehabilitation services.
 
“We are excited to accelerate our goal of bringing eyeMO to people in need around the world by partnering with AUROLAB, part of the Aravind Hospital Group. Aravind Hospital Group is the world’s largest eye hospital, performing 450,000 eye surgeries annually and distributing eye care equipment in over 160 countries worldwide,” Kubota Vision Chairman, President, and CEO Ryo Kubota, M.D., Ph.D., said. “We believe that combining performance with cost-effectiveness is an important factor in promoting eyeMO in the global market. We will continue to develop and expand the applications of eyeMO to alert patients and their physicians of disease progression and re-treatment needs by facilitating at-home and in-office use in countries and regions where medical care is limited.”
 
Kubota Vision’s vendor agreement with IQVIA Services Japan G.K. obliges the latter firm to manage a clinical study funded by Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., and pay for eyeMO’s loan to Chugai. The study will verify whether the device can be used in patients with diabetic macular edema in their homes, and the validity of retinal thickness measurements and retinal status measurements for determining the presence of intra- and subretinal edema will occur. A feasibility analysis will be conducted prior to this study.
 
“eyeMO is a retinal monitoring device that aims to improve patient prognosis through promotion of home care in the field of ophthalmology. We are very pleased to have the opportunity to validate this device in this study and to see our technology being used even more extensively,” Kubota said.

eyeMO (Patient Based Ophthalmology Suite) is a portable, low-cost, home-based, remote and in-office ophthalmic OCT¹ device for monitoring of retinal diseases remotely or in an office setting. The small handheld device addresses needs in mobile Health (mHealth²) applications for self-monitoring of retina health by patients in the home and in remote field locations. eyeMO aims to improve ophthalmic treatment outcomes in patients diagnosed with and treated for wet age-related macular degeneration, diabetic macular edema, and other neovascular retinal diseases. eyeMO is being designed to detect nascent disease progression and support patient re-treatment prior to irreversible vision loss due to disease progression. Key features are low cost and a patient-friendly design to be used directly by patients at home. eyeMO is being designed to capture changes in retinal anatomy. Network connectivity and cloud-based technologies are used to alert the patients and their physicians of disease progression and re-treatment needs.
 
Kubota Vision Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kubota Pharmaceutical Holdings Co. Ltd., committed to translating innovation into a diverse portfolio of drugs and devices to preserve and restore vision for patients. Kubota Pharmaceutical group’s pipeline includes a wearable device for myopia control using Kubota Glass technology and a handheld OCT device for the monitoring of neovascular retinal diseases, to be used directly by patients.

References
¹ Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive tool that uses light waves to take cross-section pictures of the retina.
² mHealth refers to the usage of mobile communications technology and devices to enhance access to healthcare information, improve distribution of routine and emergency health services, and provide diagnostic services.