ATLANTA and MONTREAL, Feb. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alimera Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALIM ) (Alimera), a leader in research, development and commercialization of prescription ophthalmic pharmaceuticals, and Knight Therapeutics Inc. (TSX: GUD ) (Knight), a leading Canadian specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced that Knight’s New Drug Submission (NDS) for ILUVIEN ® has been accepted for review by Health Canada. ILUVIEN (fluocinolone acetonide intravitreal implant) 0.19 mg is Alimera's sustained release intravitreal implant approved in the U.S. to treat diabetic macular edema (DME) in patients who have been previously treated with a course of corticosteroids and did not have a clinically significant rise in intraocular pressure.
“ILUVIEN is a unique and innovative product that is available in different markets around the world, including the U.S. and Europe,” said Jonathan Ross Goodman, CEO of Knight. “We are happy to continue advancing ILUVIEN and our portfolio of novel therapeutics that improve the health of Canadian patients.”
“This is another important milestone for ILUVIEN,” said Dan Myers, CEO of Alimera. “We believe ILUVIEN is the only therapy that treats DME consistently every day due to its continuous microdosing for up to three years, and we look forward to working with Knight and Health Canada to make ILUVIEN available to Canadian patients.”
Knight and Alimera signed an agreement in July 2015 granting Knight the exclusive right to distribute ILUVIEN in Canada.
About ILUVIEN
ILUVIEN (fluocinolone acetonide intravitreal implant) 0.19 mg is a sustained release intravitreal implant approved in the U.S. to treat diabetic macular edema in patients who have been previously treated with a course of corticosteroids and did not have a clinically significant rise in intraocular pressure. Each ILUVIEN implant is designed to release submicrogram levels of fluocinolone acetonide, a corticosteroid, for 36 months.
About Diabetic Macular Edema (DME)
DME, the primary cause of vision loss associated with diabetic retinopathy, is a disease affecting the macula, the part of the retina responsible for central vision. When the blood vessel leakage associated with diabetic retinopathy results in swelling of the macula, the condition is called DME. The onset of DME is painless and may go unreported by the patient until it manifests with the blurring of central vision or acute vision loss. The severity of this blurring may range from mild to profound loss of vision. The Wisconsin Epidemiologic Study of Diabetic Retinopathy found that over a 10-year period approximately 19% of people with diabetes included in the study were diagnosed with DME. All people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes are at risk of developing DME.
About Alimera Sciences, Inc.
Alimera, founded in June 2003, is a pharmaceutical company that specializes in the research, development and commercialization of prescription ophthalmic pharmaceuticals. Alimera is presently focused on diseases affecting the back of the eye, or retina, because these diseases are not well treated with current therapies and will affect millions of people in our aging populations. Alimera’s commitment to retina specialists and their patients is manifest in Alimera’s product and development portfolio designed to treat early- and late-stage diseases. For more information, please visit www.alimerasciences.com .
Alimera Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements,” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, regarding, among other things, Alimera’s plans to make ILUVIEN available to Canadian patients. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and involve inherent risks and uncertainties, including factors that could delay, divert or change any of them, and could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in its forward-looking statements. Meaningful factors which could cause actual results to differ include, but are not limited to, Knight’s ability to obtain approval from Health Canada and to launch ILUVIEN in Canada, as well as other factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” sections of Alimera’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended June 30, 2016 and September 30, 2016, which are on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov . Additional factors may also be set forth in those sections of Alimera's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, to be filed with the SEC in the first quarter of 2017. In addition to the risks described above and in Alimera’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and other filings with the SEC, other unknown or unpredictable factors also could affect Alimera’s results. There can be no assurance that the actual results or developments anticipated by Alimera will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, Alimera. Therefore, no assurance can be given that the outcomes stated in such forward-looking statements and estimates will be achieved.
All forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by the cautionary statements contained or referred to herein. Alimera cautions investors not to rely too heavily on the forward-looking statements Alimera makes or that are made on its behalf. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release (unless another date is indicated). Alimera undertakes no obligation, and specifically declines any obligation, to publicly update or revise any such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
About Knight Therapeutics Inc.
Knight Therapeutics Inc., headquartered in Montreal, Canada, is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on acquiring or in-licensing innovative pharmaceutical products for the Canadian and select international markets. Knight's shares trade on TSX under the symbol GUD. For more information about Knight, please visit the company's web site at www.gud-knight.com or www.sedar.com .
Knight Forward-Looking Statement
This document contains forward-looking statements for Knight Therapeutics Inc. and its subsidiaries. These forward looking statements, by their nature, necessarily involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Knight Therapeutics Inc. considers the assumptions on which these forward-looking statements are based to be reasonable at the time they were prepared, but cautions the reader that these assumptions regarding future events, many of which are beyond the control of Knight Therapeutics Inc. and its subsidiaries, may ultimately prove to be incorrect. Factors and risks, which could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations are discussed in Knight Therapeutics Inc.'s Annual Report and in Knight Therapeutics Inc.'s Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2015. Knight Therapeutics Inc. disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information or future events, except as required by law.
For Alimera Sciences: Katie Brazel 404-317-8361 kbrazel@bellsouth.net For Knight Therapeutics: Jeffrey Kadanoff, P.Eng., MBA Chief Financial Officer 514-484-GUD1 (4831) info@gud-knight.com
