BLOG: Trukera finds a new home: Maker of tear osmolarity test acquired by Bausch + Lomb
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Key takeaways:
- Bausch + Lomb has acquired Trukera Medical.
- The company plans to emphasize the utility of tear osmolarity testing before cataract and laser refractive procedures.
Anyone who has read any of my drivel knows that I am a long-time fan of testing tear osmolarity to guide the diagnosis and treatment of dry eye disease.
Prior to it becoming a CLIA-waived test, my colleagues and I were so convinced of its importance in a dry eye disease practice that we went through accreditation as an intermediate level laboratory. When we first used tear osmolarity (TO) prior to 2010, there was no billing code. Patients paid out of pocket for each test.
And almost all of them would only agree to pay for one eye!
On July 23, Bausch + Lomb announced that it acquired Trukera, the successor company to TearLab. B+L plans to add Trukera and TO to its surgical division and place an emphasis on the utility of testing for elevated TO in candidates for cataract and laser refractive procedures. Internal Trukera data showing that elevated TO causes light scattering equivalent to a grade 2 nuclear sclerotic cataract has been presented at several meetings over the last 12 months. Selling the instrument that measures TO to cataract and refractive surgeons will hopefully lead to an increase in satisfied patients.
For the first time in its history, the maker of ScoutPro will be part of an organization with “deep enough pockets” to fund an expansion of its technology. Think objective measurement of not just MMP-9 but multiple inflammatory markers. How about IgG and viral antigens to help us when we are confronted with a patient with nonspecific red eyes? In another publication, my colleague Marjan Farid, MD, wished for a single instrument that would allow us to obtain all of these values. There has been talk over the years that the Trukera/TearLab technology might be able to deliver this. Wouldn’t it be great if the ScoutPro version of the “lab on a chip” might grant Marjan’s wish!
B+L has the most comprehensive menu of options to treat dry eye disease. In my opinion, it is the perfect home for Trukera and TO. Congratulations to Andrew Stewart of B+L and Adam Szaronos of Trukera for making this happen.
Reference:
Bausch + Lomb acquires diagnostic company Trukera Medical.
https://www.bausch.com/news/?id=222. Published July 23, 2024. Accessed July 23, 2024.
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