Triage Gets FDA Nod; CHOC Crunches its Numbers
Irvine-based specialty drug maker Allergan Inc. is working with Inspire Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Durham, N.C., to develop two treatments for dry eye syndrome. About 9 million people suffer from moderate-to-severe dry eye, also known as keratoconjunctivitis sicca.
According to Allergan, there currently is no Food and Drug Administration approved treatment for dry eye disease.
“Dry eye syndrome may lead to serious corneal damage, enhanced susceptibility to ocular infection, and, potentially, significant vision loss and blindness,” said David Sullivan, chairman of Sjogren’s Syndrome Foundation Inc., a Jericho, N.Y.-based non-profit group.
Dry eyes are a symptom of Sjogren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease where the body attacks its own moisture-producing glands.
The licensing, development and marketing pact with Inspire includes Allergan’s Restasis cyclosporine ophthalmic emulsion and Inspire’s INS365 Ophthalmic. Both pharmaceuticals are in phase 3 clinical development for dry eye.
Allergan is obtaining an exclusive license to develop and commercialize INS365 worldwide. The exception is Japan and nine other Asian countries covered by Inspire’s separate agreement with Santen Pharmaceutical Co.
Inspire, in return, is slated to receive up to $39 million in up-front and milestone payments, a co-promotion arrangement for INS365 Ophthalmic in the U.S. and payments based on net sales. Inspire also is receiving an option to co-promote Restasis in the U.S. and royalties on global net sales, excluding Japan and other parts of Asia.
Bone Product Gets FDA Nod
Triage Medical Inc., Irvine, got the OK from the Food and Drug Administration to start marketing and distributing a reconstruction product for small bones in the feet. Triage’s Bone-Lok is intended to give surgeons devices with greater strength and compression than existing surgical fixation devices, according to the company.
The FDA’s action allows Triage to start clinical trials of the Bone-Lok program at various centers. Triage also said it plans to move into a new manufacturing facility in Irvine this month and begin limited production in the third quarter. U.S. sales could start in the fourth quarter.
Triage, a privately held company, was started in April 2000. Triage co-founder Michael Henson also is chairman of Radiance Medical Systems Inc., another Irvine-based medical device company. Henson recently established the MedFocus Fund to invest in emerging medical technologies.
CHOC: $35 Million in Benefits
Children’s Hospital of Orange County, Orange, and CHOC at Mission, Mission Viejo, provided more than $34.7 million in community benefits during fiscal 2000, according to a report issued by the CHOC Foundation for Children.
The foundation reported that 86.4% of those funds went to medical services for impoverished or medically underserved children. Additionally, the non-profit hospital system returned $18.9 in community benefits for every dollar of tax exemption received.
Some of CHOC’s activities were touched on in the report, including the addition of mobile health clinics in Anaheim and its new stationary clinic near the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Ana.
Examining HMOs
Orange County has more than 300,000 Medicare beneficiaries. And a new report from the California HealthCare Foundation, Oakland, and Consumers Union of Yonkers, N.Y., claims that those residents have “excellent options” if they seek to receive their healthcare from a Medicare-risk health maintenance organization.
The report looked at 14 Medicare HMOs available in Orange County and gave them ratings from one to five stars. Evaluation criteria included office visit costs, monthly premiums, prescription drug benefit values and an annual maximum drug benefit. Five-star plans include one from Santa Ana-based PacifiCare Health Systems Inc.’s Secure Horizons, SCAN Health Plan, Health Net Seniority Plus and Blue Shield 65 Plus.
Ann Monroe, director of the California HealthCare Foundation’s quality initiative, said that the report was designed to give seniors needed information to pick a Medicare HMO plan.
Bits and Pieces:
In other PacifiCare news, the managed care company selected e-commerce software from BenefitPoint Inc., San Francisco, to manage distribution of its health service products. PacifiCare plans to use BenefitPoint’s program to respond to requests for proposals, process renewals and streamline carrier, broker and employer interactions via the Internet Nations Capital Group, Thousand Oaks, opened an outpatient surgery center on South Euclid Street in Anaheim. Automated equipment is featured at the Nations Surgery Centers facility, which specializes in orthoscopic and endoscopic procedures Dr. Ronald Greeno, national medical director of Cogent Healthcare Inc., Laguna Hills, spoke on hospitalist programs during the Texas Hospital Association’s conference and exposition last month.
