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BLOG: Boom! Sun Pharma enters the dry eye space
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Wow! That sonic boom you just heard was the other shoe dropping in the dry eye disease space. Sun Pharmaceutical announced on Oct. 26 that it was acquiring the eye care assets of Auven. Among its products in development is Seciera 0.09% — wait for it — cyclosporine A.
Oh my. Those ex-Inspire guys are at it again.
The details are pretty interesting. Sun is spending $40 million to buy the rights to the assets, along with downstream licensing fees and sales-driven payments. Seciera is a non-preserved, micelle-encapsulated delivery system for cyclosporine A. It is entering phase 3 FDA trials now. Early results suggest that the higher concentration may deliver relatively rapid onset of beneficial effects, while the micelle-encapsulation appears to blunt localized side effects. No guidance was offered as to the anticipated time to approval.
As you know if you’ve read any of my stuff here, I find the business aspects of our world fascinating. I think each of us should be spending a bit more time understanding how and why our industry partners behave as they do. This particular news, coming so quickly on the heels of the Xiidra (lifitegrast ophthalmic solution 5%, Shire) release, could very well be the first thing to shake up the pricing of DED meds at the delivery point to the patient.
Before we get here, however, we are likely to be treated to an epic lesson in intellectual property/patent law. Restasis (cyclosporine ophthalmic emulsion 0.05%, Allergan) has been protected by a series of patents of various types and may have a case for keeping out other cyclosporine A meds until 2022 or so. A quick read of the Auven press release reveals rather deep protection for the micelle-encapsulation delivery system, and a corresponding case to be made that Seciera is unique and different. What this means for us is the potential for fireworks coming from the legal beagles of both companies, complete with front page coverage.
Stay tuned. Who knows what else Jerry St. Peter, Jason Menzo and Jason Werner have up their sleeve? This is what you get when your clinical space is hot.
Disclosure: White reports he is a consultant for Bausch + Lomb, Allergan, Shire and Eyemaginations; is on the speakers board for Bausch + Lomb, Allergan and Shire; and has a financial interest in TearScience.