Eyeworld

EW MEETING REPORTER 68 December 2015 Reporting from the 2015 AAO annual meeting, November 14–17, Las Vegas Reporting from the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) annual meeting T he 2015 Ophthalmology Innovation Summit, OIS@AAO, kicked off in Las Vegas with an introduction from Emmett Cunningham, MD, PhD, San Francisco, highlighting the meeting and some recent devel- opments in ophthalmology. He spoke about a number of companies with new drugs and devices and their progress in trials and moving forward for FDA approval. This year is the 11th OIS, Dr. Cunningham said, and about 950–1,000 people attended. Plenary Keynote The meeting's Plenary Keynote was given by Brent Saunders, CEO and president of Allergan (Dublin). Mr. Saunders has been involved in ophthalmology since 2010 when he became CEO of Bausch + Lomb (Bridgewater, N.J.). At this time, he spent a lot of time looking at the state of innovation in ophthalmol- ogy because Bausch + Lomb was rebuilding a pipeline. There have been many golden ages of innovation in ophthalmol- ogy and a number of factors lead to these "golden ages," Mr. Saunders said. "We are on the cusp of entering a new or next golden age of inno- vation in eyecare," he said. Factors influencing this innovation relate to the market for eyecare, the ecosys- tem that exists, and the scientific standpoint. Eye disease remains a significant growing problem in the U.S. and around the world, he said. Problems like glaucoma, retinal disease, dry eye, and other issues impact millions of people in the U.S. alone. If this is happening in the U.S., then the impact in the world is exponentially greater, Mr. Saunders said. Despite concern for the fact that these diseases can cause blindness and impact patients' quality of life, the science is finally starting to catch up. Recently, Mr. Saunders noted large growth rates in funding poten- tial solutions for diseases including dry eye, presbyopia, blepharitis, and viral conjunctivitis, among others. The new pharmaceutical innovation ecosystem is fueled by significant investments, he said. A lot of great ideas are going to have the oppor- tunity to become the foundation of new companies and real treatments with these increased investments, he added. "What also has changed in these ecosystems is where the ideas come from," Mr. Saunders said. Around 15 years ago, more than 60% of ideas came from big pharma companies, but that has now shifted, with about 50% of ideas coming from biotech and start-up companies. Sponsored by

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