Bausch + Lomb said that it has acquired AcuFocus, a California-based privately held ophthalmic medical device company, through one of its affiliates, for an undisclosed price.
AcuFocus is engaged in developing small aperture intraocular technology for addressing the diverse unmet needs in eye care.
The company’s products include the IC-8 Apthera intraocular lens (IOL), which was approved in July 2022 by the US Food and Drug Administration.
IC-8 Apthera is a small aperture non-toric extended depth of focus (EDOF) IOL with approval to use in certain cataract patients with as much as 1.5 diopters of corneal astigmatism and who want to address presbyopia at the same time.
The intraocular lens, which goes by the IC-8 IOL brand in global markets, is available in select markets across Europe, and in Australia, Singapore, and New Zealand as well. Its CE mark was secured by AcuFocus in 2015.
Earlier this month, AcuFocus reported the first commercial implantation of the IC-8 Apthera intraocular lens in the US for the treatment of cataracts, which took place at Vance Thompson Vision in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
AcuFocus president and CEO Al Waterhouse said: “Bausch + Lomb is a legacy name in eye care with a fully integrated portfolio of offerings in eye health.
“With its extensive development footprint and renowned commercial expertise, we believe Bausch + Lomb is best positioned to educate physicians about the IC-8 Apthera lens, and ultimately, ensure more cataract patients have access to this new IOL.”
Bausch + Lomb said that the acquisition of the small aperture company will bolster its surgical portfolio with the wavefront-filtering intraocular lens.
Bausch + Lomb CEO Joseph Papa CEO said: “Cataracts are the largest contributor to global blindness in adults aged 50 years and older, with more than 15 million individuals, or approximately 45 percent of the more than 33 million cases of global blindness.
“We believe that the IC-8 Apthera EDOF IOL will bolster our surgical portfolio by enhancing our IOL offerings, which is a strategic area of focus for Bausch + Lomb.”
