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JJVC expands product line, prepares for AMO acquisition
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ANAHEIM, Calif. – Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc. plans to launch two products every year until 2020 as part of a new integrated portfolio approach, according to Peter Menziuso, president, JJVC North America, here at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Optometry.
The plans allow for company expansion beyond contact lenses, including the pending acquisition of Abbott Medical Optics (AMO).
“We recognize [eye health] as a significant category that is growing and a top area of focus that we want to be a leader in … we are going to take the strength and technology that Abbott Medical Optics has as we move into the surgical side of the business and partner that with our deep understanding of Acuvue, eye health, consumer technologies and surgical technologies to understand the patient journey,” Menziuso said at a company-sponsored press conference.
“We recognize that untreated cataracts is a leading cause of blindness, and that’s an area we want to stay focused in and keep making a difference there,” he continued.
In the future, the company is interested in making greater strides in custom and adaptive lenses.
He said these programs are advancing, and Menziuso is proud of the work that is being done, but it is still in development.
“We are working with doctors to drive a deeper dialogue about lifestyle prescribing … to understand the needs of the patients, their environment challenges, their lifestyles,” Menziuso said.
With that, Menziuso introduced the launch of the Digital Guide, an online resource for practitioners to aid in customer retention, new patient acquisition and building value for patients.
The guide helps practitioners understand their patient demographics and the needs associated with it.
In addition, it creates digital strategies and tactics geared toward various patient/shopper barriers. The guide comes with exercises and worksheets to evaluate one’s individual practice.
As doctors start to understand patients and their needs more deeply, they can prescribe products that will truly make a difference, he added.
Carol Alexander, OD, director of professional communications, JJVC, spoke about recent activity in contact lens safety and legislation.
“We want to make sure that patient safety is never out of balance with the ambiguity that exists in interrupting a law or an act,” she said.
Based on research, trust from customers is high, she said. Customers report high satisfaction with purchasing a lens (90%), either through their doctor or a website, and 85% of patients report finding a lens that they like, she added.
One in four patients who purchase contact lenses online do not get the specific lens brand they are prescribed, Alexander said.
“I suggest to you: Who’s making the decision on that substitution?” she asked. “If we understand that the contact lens prescription is much greater than just the refraction alone, suddenly that substitution makes a great deal of difference. As a manufacturer, we remain vigilant for our patients that we get them the lens their doctor prescribes.” – by Abigail Sutton
Disclosure: Alexander is JJVC North America director of professional communications. Menziuso is JJVC North America president.