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Ellex rebrands, moves toward direct marketing
Numerous product launches and approvals were announced at the recent ASCRS meeting.
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SAN FRANCISCO — Ellex Medical Laser announced a number of significant changes during the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. The publicly traded Australian-based company is establishing Ellex as its global brand name, replacing the brand name Laserex that the company has used in the United States and Japan.
At the same time, the company is moving its global headquarters for sales, marketing and customer service from Adelaide to the San Francisco area.
But perhaps most important for its ophthalmic customers, Ellex is moving away from its role as an original equipment manufacturer and will now concentrate on marketing its lasers under its own brand name. Ellex has “exercised its right to end its OEM (original equipment manufacturer) supply agreement with competitor Lumenis Ltd.” effective in March, according to a press release from the company. The company has produced lasers for Lumenis for 7 years, company officials said.
 Members of the Ophthalmic Women Leaders met during ASCRS for a wine tasting and networking reception. OWL’s mission is to facilitate networking and promote professional development for women aspiring to leadership positions in the ophthalmic industry, according to OWL’s Web site. At the ASCRS event, Mark Pope, Founder and CEO of Bounty Hunter vineyards, gave tips for trying and appreciating a variety of wines. Image: Scott Lewis Photographer |
Ellex is now the only laser company devoted exclusively to ophthalmology, according to chief executive officer Peter Falzon. In an interview at the Ellex booth, Mr. Falzon said that refractive surgery is not part of the company’s strategy at this time, but the company offers a full line of lasers for cataract, retina and glaucoma.
“We are committed to excellence in our areas of core competence,” Mr. Falzon said, “and we plan to excel not only in the quality of our lasers, but also our service.”
He said service operations will now be headquartered in San Francisco so that they will be located centrally to the company’s main markets, North America, North Asia and Europe.
To emphasize how the company has redirected its efforts toward marketing lasers under the Ellex brand name, Mr. Falzon noted that 3 years ago, OEM supply accounted for about 70% of the company’s revenue. By contrast, in its most recent 6-month financial report, 78% of revenue came from lasers sold under the Ellex brand, he said.
According to a press release from the company, first-half results for fiscal year 2006, reported on March 1, showed a 73% growth in sales of Ellex brand products and a 150% growth in profit compared to the same period in the previous year.
The company was also displaying its newest laser at the ASCRS meeting, a combination red-green solid state photocoagulator, which Mr. Falzon called the industry’s first.
The Integre Duo, which comes integrated into its own slit lamp, will replace the bulky argon-krypton lasers that take up multiple square feet of space in many practices today, Mr. Falzon said.
The Integre Duo is approved for use in Japan and is pending approval from U.S. regulators, he said. The company expects the laser to be available in the United States by July.
What follows are other business-related news as announced by companies at the ASCRS meeting. Look for these and other business news items daily on www.OSNSuperSite.com.
Alcon launches new product, extends lines
Alcon has announced an addition to its existing Systane Free eye drop line and AcrySof IOL franchise.
Systane Free Lubricant Eye Drops are an extension to the Systane Free line, an over-the-counter eye drop that treats dry eye. The new formulation was designed to provide patients long-lasting dry eye relief with less blurring after use.
“Systane Free contains a unique ionic buffer self-preservation system, allowing the product to be preservative free in the eye,” a statement about the product said.
The AcrySof IOL franchise now has the AcrySof Toric IOL, which offers rotational stability to precisely correct astigmatism, according to Alcon. Clinical trials found that at the 6-month follow-up, the AcrySof Toric IOL rotated an average of less than 4°.
“The flexible StableForce haptics keep the AcrySof Toric IOL stabilized and centered regardless of capsular bag size,” Alcon officials said in a release. “The AcrySof IOL material binds to the anterior/posterior capsule, thus helping to prevent rotation after implantation.”
The product also filters ultraviolet and blue light.
Excimer laser approved for use in United States
Bausch & Lomb’s 100-Hz Zyoptix excimer laser has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
The laser operates at twice the speed as B&L’s current system for both standard and custom treatment modes. According to a release from the company, surgeons in the United States will be the first to use the Planoscan standard ablation at 100 Hz when the laser is available this summer.
Those who use B&L’s Zyoptix laser system in the United States will also be able to upgrade their systems to 100 Hz capability, the release said.
Instrument Web site launched
Bausch & Lomb’s Storz Instruments announced the launch of a commercial marketing Web site
The storz.com Web site is a sales site for the complete line of Storz medical instruments. Surgeons will be able to now order Storz’s surgical products online through the Web site. Storz plans to introduce at least 50 to 60 instruments this year, according to a company spokesman.
The formal launch of the Web site was here during the meeting.