SANTA CLARA, Calif., May 26 -- Since Coherent Inc.'s Opal Photoactivator received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration in April of this year, US Ophthalmologists have made over 300 orders for the new product. The Photoactivator is needed to activate the drug Visudyne in a two-step process to treat people who have the wet form of Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD). Patients with AMD can lose their ability to read, drive and recognize faces in as little as two months to three years.
AMD causes the formation of an abnormal blood vessel -- called choroidal neovascularization (CNV)-- that spreads across the macula, which is located in the middle of the retina. Fluid that leaks from the vessel eventually destroys the patient's central vision. The FDA stated that the most appropriate therapy for people with predominantly classic subfoveal CNV was Visudyne therapy.
I am delighted to see that our order rate far exceeded our best expectations, stated Jim Taylor, President of Coherent Medical Group. In anticipation of the FDA approval, Coherent had increased production capacity and inventories of the Opal Photoactivator during the second quarter. This is part of Coherent's on-going commitment to provide ophthalmologists with a full range of products and technologies, and the first major leg of our focus on providing solutions for AMD.