Belkin Laser, a small Israel-based biotechnology company, has announced that it has completed enrollment for its pivotal, Phase III trial investigating a new, laser-based treatment option for patients with glaucoma. The laser therapy could be used as a first-line treatment.
Glaucoma, a condition causing vision loss and blindness, affects some 140 million individuals worldwide. When fluid builds up in the eye, this causes pressure, which can adversely affect the optic nerve. Existing treatments include a range of medications (first-line), other types of laser treatments (second-line), and surgery designed to reduce eye pressure. However, these treatment options have their own challenges. For example, patient non-compliance with medications (such as eye drops) is common, with nearly half of patients stopping these treatments within the first year.
While laser treatments are not new as a glaucoma treatment option and have been found effective for most people with glaucoma, they also have significant drawbacks, such as inaccessibility to patients. Most existing laser treatments involve a device being placed directly on the eye, followed by lasers administered manually; this requires someone with highly specialized skills to perform, which is why it is not often available to patients as a first-line therapy.
Belkin Laser’s new technology may offer a different approach that some patients may find more appealing than existing options. Using technology that can pinpoint the exact area of the eye to target with laser treatment without the need for manual adminstration, Belkin Laser’s technology may offer a quicker, less invasive approach to laser therapy that may be more accessible to patients as a first-line treatment.
"Our disruptive innovation has the potential to significantly expand the treatment options available to glaucoma patients today by providing an intuitive and time efficient treatment which is unparalleled in its ease of use." stated Daria Lemann Blumenthal, CEO and Co-founder of BELKIN Laser.
Completion of its 12-month follow-up portion of the study is expected in Q3 of 2022.
Source: PR Newswire
