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BLOG: J&J takes out TearScience
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It was only a matter of time, really. Well, the when but also the who. Not gonna lie, I’m a bit surprised that it’s J&J to be honest. With its big push into devices on the eye care side, I really thought it was going to be Allergan. LipiView/LipiScan/LipiFlow just seemed like a natural fit with TrueTear in a DED quiver. If not Allergan, the smart money had to be on Zeiss. Joe Boorady ran that shop once upon a time, and Andy Chang has things hopping over there.
But if you look just a bit deeper, J&J is as logical a place for TearScience to land as any of the other players in the space. Its acquisition of AMO certainly shows that it is serious about being a player. Frankly, I think it’s a super time for TearScience to tap into the kind of manufacturing expertise of a company like J&J. I’ve made no secret of my desire to see TearScience become more profitable while at the same time selling its Activators. Says here J&J helps make that happen.
Although it’s signed, these deals don’t always close, so we will all have to hold our collective breath for another couple of months until it’s also sealed and delivered. Nonetheless, TearScience is an important piece of the “best practices” in DED care. With J&J driving the bus, we can all breathe a bit easier about having LipiFlow available to help our MGD/DED patients going forward.
Congrats to Joe, Tom, Brian and the rest of the TearScience team. Welcome aboard J&J. Fasten your seatbelt!
Disclosure: White reports he has an ownership interest in and is a consultant for TearScience. All information in this blog is from public sources.