On Friday, October 13th, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Advisory Panel unanimously recommended approval of Spark Therapeutics gene therapy for Leber Congenital Amaurosis (LCA). Click here to read more.
Final approval, if it happens, would take place in early 2018. If so, it will be the first FDA approved gene therapy for an eye disorder and, as of right now, only the second FDA approved gene therapy in the United States. Here are a few key points you should know:
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10/17/2017 0 Comments CYPASS: A Case StudyA 79-year-old female was referred for a cataract evaluation. Her ocular history also included moderate glaucoma and she was using Cosopt and latanoprost. Her preoperative IOP's measured OD 14 and OS 15.
She was essentially on 3 medications with decent IOP control but was also facing cataract surgery. As a result, she was a very good candidate for CyPass. "I finally have a diagnosis. After nearly 57 years of uncertainty and not knowing, I finally know what I have," said Jane (not her real name). Jane has seen just about every eye specialist in and around Birmingham over the past 40 years and no one could give her a definitive diagnosis. In fact, she had been given many different diagnoses which made things even more confusing. A little over a year ago, Jane was referred to Dr. Rod Nowakowski, the director of VisionAmerica's Genetic Eye Clinic. Following a thorough exam and diagnostic testing, Dr. Nowakowski submitted her blood sample for genetic analysis. Jane definitely had a variant of a macular dystrophy, but it wasn't until the genetic analysis was complete that Dr. Nowakowski could give her a clear answer. Jane has a rare eye disease called Stargardt's Disease. She was elated to finally have an answer. by Paul Batson, O.D. Center Director VisionAmerica of Birmingham On September 19, 2017, Glenn Chin, the former supervisory pharmacist at the now-closed New England Compounding Center, entered a Boston, Mass. courtroom to be tried for second degree murder and mail fraud for his role in the 2012 fungal meningitis outbreak which affected over 800 people and resulted in the death of 76. (For more information on the on-going trial, click here.) As healthcare professionals, we often examine ourselves, along with the procedures and processes we have in place within our practices, to determine whether or not we are truly providing the best quality care to our patients. With this recent reminder in the news, we thought we would reflect on and share the reasoning behind some of the decisions we have made at VisionAmerica. On Monday, September 18th, Toys 'R' Us, one of the largest toy stores in the world with over 1,600 locations, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Let that sink in for a second... You are all familiar with Toys 'R' Us. At one time, it was likely the desired stop on a trip to the mall with your family. Judging by the current news headlines, it has probably been a long time since you have visited... |
AuthorThe staff and doctors at VisionAmerica are committed to providing relevant information for you, your patients and your practice. We hope you find the information in our blog post helpful. Archives
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