GENEVA—Alcon (SIX/NYSE: ALC) yesterday announced the closing of its previously announced acquisition of Ivantis, developer of the novel Hydrus Microstent, a minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) device designed to lower eye pressure for open-angle glaucoma patients in connection with cataract surgery. With this acquisition, the immediate integration of Ivantis associates helps ensure continuity of the business and relationships with existing customers. It also allows Alcon to begin its future growth plans to bring Hydrus Microstent to more international markets and prioritize its ongoing evidence-based research, Alcon said in a statement.

“We believe this transaction will further strengthen our global surgical portfolio and help provide a platform for more growth in the glaucoma space,” said David Endicott, CEO of Alcon. “As we welcome Ivantis associates into Alcon, we look forward to introducing Hydrus Microstent on a broader, global scale in the near future to help even more patients see brilliantly.”

Roughly the size of an eyelash, the Hydrus Microstent is a next-generation MIGS device designed to reduce eye pressure by reestablishing flow through Schlemm's canal, the eye's natural outflow pathway. Approved by the FDA in August 2018 for use in conjunction with cataract surgery, the Hydrus Microstent is one of the most rigorously researched and thoroughly studied MIGS devices, according to Alcon.

Long-standing clinical safety and efficacy data, which will be highlighted at 2022 medical meetings, is a cornerstone of Hydrus Microstent and its market adoption to date. Its five-year Horizon data demonstrated clinically meaningful and statistically significant clinical benefits over the full five years, including sustained reduction in medication use and the need for invasive secondary glaucoma surgery. The safety profile was also sustained through the five-year follow-up.

Alcon said it plans to pursue stand-alone surgery indications for Hydrus Microstent in the U.S. with clinical trials underway and additional information about potential expansion plans will be provided in the future.

In the U.S., Hydrus Microstent, which is part of a large and growing market, is currently indicated for the reduction of intraocular pressure in adult patients with mild to moderate primary open-angle glaucoma in conjunction with cataract surgery. In the U.K., Canada, Australia, Singapore and Germany, the device is indicated for primary open-angle glaucoma in conjunction with cataract surgery and as a stand-alone procedure.