MONROVIA, Calif., Sept. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- STAAR Surgical
Company (Nasdaq: STAA), a leading developer, manufacturer and
marketer of minimally invasive ophthalmic products, today provided
a preview of the activities scheduled prior to and during the 2012
Congress of European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons
(ESCRS) to be held in Milano,
Italy, September 5 through 12,
2012. During the Congress, the Company
will officially introduce two key IOL products, the STAAR KS-SP
Single Piece Preloaded Acrylic IOL and the nanoFLEX™ Toric
IOL. Both products are approved in Europe and other countries that accept CE Mark
approvals, while the KS-SP is also approved in Japan.
"Each year the presence of the Visian ICL at this meeting has
increased and this will be the most exciting and productive ESCRS
meeting in our history," said Hans Blickensdoerfer, President of
Europe and Latin America for STAAR. "During the week
there are 106 planned presentations on the Visian ICL
technology. We will also be celebrating the
1st anniversary of the latest Visian ICL approval with
CentraFLOW technology in Europe,
as well as the 10 year anniversary of the Toric
ICL. Ophthalmologists have now successfully
implanted well over 75,000 Toric ICLs. The
Visian ICL is the fastest growing refractive technology in the
world. With the introduction of the Visian ICL
CentraFLOW technology the Visian ICL and TICL can treat all LASIK
eligible patients and more, while the procedure is as convenient
for both the patient and surgeon, if not more so, than
LASIK. The CentraFLOW technology has now been
implanted in over 6,500 eyes with excellent results and we are in
the process of expanding the approval of the technology beyond
Europe."
Beginning Thursday, STAAR will hold its 9th Annual
Visian ICL Experts Symposium prior to the official opening of the
ESCRS Congress. This is a "by invitation only"
meeting of key Visian ICL users, and over 130 surgeons from 30
countries are expected to attend. The symposium
will consist of 31 clinical presentations by surgeons from 16
different countries and five roundtable discussion sessions as well
as a five free paper presentation sessions on the Visian ICL
technology.
The ESCRS Congress official program will begin on Saturday and
includes over 65 presentations in which the Visian ICL technology
will be highlighted. These presentations
include: papers presented from the podium, electronic poster
presentations, surgeon presentations in the STAAR exhibition booth,
instructional courses and a lunch symposium for
members. On Monday, STAAR will host the ESCRS
Lunch Symposium entitled "Innovations in Premium Refractive
Surgery." This luncheon is expected to draw up
to 400 surgeons and include six presentations by surgeons from five
different countries sharing their experience with the Visian ICL
technology, including the new Visian ICL with CentraFLOW
technology. Dr. Amar
Agarwal from India will be
the moderator of presentations by Dr. J.F.
Alfonso from Spain, Dr.
J. Aramberri from Spain, Dr. G. Baikoff from France, Dr. R.
Rivera from the U.S., and Dr. Roberto Zaldivar from Argentina.
The Visian ICL V4c, with STAAR's CentraFLOW proprietary
technology, received CE Mark approval in April 2011. CentraFLOW eliminates the need for
the surgeon to perform a YAG peripheral iridotomy procedure several
days before the ICL implant. The result is more comfort for the
patient and a more convenient, efficient ICL experience for both
the patient and the surgeon. Since its approval,
the Company has gained additional regulatory approvals including
the Middle East markets.
At the Congress the premium nanoFLEX Collamer Toric IOL will be
introduced in Europe and other
countries that accept CE Mark approval. The nanoFLEX Toric IOL
incorporates the Company's proprietary aspheric optic design,
optimized for the natural curvature of the eye into this new toric
design on the Collamer platform. Market Scope
estimates the 2012 global market for toric IOLs to be approximately
$285 million with $70 million of this coming in Europe. Its estimate of
average selling price is above 400
USD.
The KS-SP Single Piece Preloaded IOL is made from hydrophobic
acrylic material. The lens is delivered into the eye through a 2.4
millimeter incision, similar to the most commonly used small
incision cataract extraction procedures. While most IOLs sold
throughout the world are made with hydrophobic acrylic materials,
issues with glistening have become increasingly apparent. STAAR's
proprietary injector system employs an independently sourced lens
that has been shown to be 'glistening free,' an important customer
advantage.
About STAAR Surgical
STAAR, which has been dedicated solely to ophthalmic
surgery for over 25 years, designs, develops, manufactures and
markets implantable lenses for the eye. All of
these lenses are foldable, which permits the surgeon to insert them
through a small incision. A lens used to replace
the natural lens after cataract surgery is called an intraocular
lens or "IOL." A lens used in refractive surgery
as an alternative to LASIK is called an Implantable Collamer® Lens
or "ICL." Over 300,000 Visian ICLs have been
implanted to date; to learn more about the ICL go to:
www.visianinfo.com. STAAR has approximately 300
full-time employees and markets lenses in approximately 60
countries. Headquartered in Monrovia, CA, it manufactures in the following
locations: Nidau, Switzerland;
Ichikawa City, Japan; Aliso Viejo, CA; and Monrovia, CA. For more
information, please visit the Company's website at
www.staar.com or call
626-303-7902.
Collamer® is the registered trademark for STAAR's
proprietary biocompatible collagen copolymer lens
material.
Safe Harbor
All statements in this press release that are not statements of
historical fact are forward-looking statements, including any
statements about the effect of new product approvals on our
business, statements about planned product launches, any statements
of belief and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the
foregoing.
These statements are based on expectations and assumptions as of
the date of this press release and are subject to numerous risks
and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ
materially from those described in the forward-looking statements.
The risks and uncertainties include the following: the effect of
poor global economic conditions on sales, especially sales of
products like the ICL used in non-reimbursed elective procedures;
our limited resources to promote new products; the risk that
product launches may be affected by unplanned delays or be less
successful than we expect; government approval of our new products;
the willingness of surgeons and patients to adopt a new product and
procedure; the entrenched market position of laser-based procedures
for many conditions treated by the Visian ICL; and patterns of
Visian ICL use that have typically limited our penetration of the
refractive surgery market. STAAR assumes no obligation to update
its forward-looking statements to reflect future events or actual
outcomes and does not intend to do so.
CONTACT:
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Investors
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Media
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EVC
Group
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EVC
Group
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Jenifer
Kirtland/Doug Sherk
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Christopher Gale
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415-568-9349
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646-201-5431
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SOURCE STAAR Surgical Company