JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—Johnson & Johnson Vision said Wednesday that Health Canada has approved its Acuvue Abiliti 1-Day soft therapeutic lenses for myopia management. Abiliti 1-Day lenses are a new option of daily wear, single-use, disposable lenses that have the potential to slow the progression of myopia and are specifically designed for children who are 7 to 12 years old at the start of treatment, the announcement noted. Abiliti 1-Day lenses are expected to become available in select areas of Canada beginning “as early as this year and expanding beyond in 2022,” J&J Vision said. Parents and eyecare professionals who want more information can visit the site at seeyourabiliti.com.

The new lens also expands the growing portfolio of myopia management products and services from Johnson & Johnson Vision, the company said. The soft contact lenses feature a novel ring focus technology that helps parents and ECPs address the progression of myopia in children. They are made of silicone hydrogel (senofilcon A) lens material, the same material as Acuvue Oasys 1-Day contact lenses.
 
A J&J Vision spokeswoman told VMAIL that the company is "currently working with health [and regulatory] authorities in the U.S. and will provide updates" on the approval process in the U.S. for the Acuvue Abiliti lens as they become available. 

  
“The approval from Health Canada for Acuvue Abiliti 1-Day lenses marks another major step forward in our collaborative efforts with parents and eyecare professionals to reshape the future of myopia,” Xiao-Yu Song, MD, PhD, global head of research and development for Johnson & Johnson Vision, said in the announcement. “Our researchers and scientists specifically designed Abiliti 1-Day to be a novel soft therapeutic lens with the potential to slow the progression of myopia in children.”
 
The Health Canada approval for Abiliti 1-Day lenses “marks another significant milestone for the Abiliti brand and Johnson & Johnson Vision,” the company said.
 
Abiliti will provide parents and ECPs with a robust and comprehensive set of products for myopia management. Earlier this year, the company introduced Acuvue Abiliti Overnight therapeutic lenses for myopia management in the U.S. Abiliti Overnight lenses are specifically designed and fitted to match a patient’s eye based on its unique corneal shape to temporarily reshape the cornea. The lens was approved by the FDA in May, as VMAIL reported.
 
The company also announced that each annual purchase of an Abiliti product would provide a free comprehensive eye health exam to a child in need through Sight For Kids—a joint program from Johnson & Johnson Vision and the not-for-profit Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF).
 
Sight For Kids is one of the largest-known, school-based eye health programs that mobilizes Lions and ECPs to provide comprehensive eye health services in low-income schools around the world.
 
The new Abiliti 1-Day lenses are not traditional concentric ring presbyopic design lenses. Abiliti 1-Day lenses are a breakthrough innovation specifically designed to slow myopia progression in children and have been shown to reduce axial elongation by 0.105mm on average over a 6-month period, according to the J&J Vision announcement.
 
J&J Vision, a global leader in eye health, is a unit of the Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies.