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Artificial cornea now marketed in U.S.

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PERTH, Australia — An artificial cornea that was granted U.S. regulatory approval in late August will begin its official U.S. rollout at this week's American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting.

The AlphaCor, designed to replace a diseased or damaged cornea or failed human graft, is made of a biocompatible soft plastic that is said to negate the need for the immunosuppressant medications usually required with human donor tissue. According to Australia-based Argus Biomedical, marketers of the artificial cornea, AlphaCor has undergone more than 4 years of clinical trials in humans.

With U.S. regulatory approval, the AlphaCor is now being marketed in the United States, Europe, Canada and Australia. Argus Biomedical expects to have trained a U.S. physician network of nearly 100 surgeons by the beginning of next year.