NovaBay® Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE MKT: NBY), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing topical non-antibiotic antimicrobial products, today announced that it is introducing a new eye care product, i-Lid™ Cleanser. The product is being introduced at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (booth number 583) being held in Boston, MA, April 25-29, 2014. Already cleared by the FDA through its 510(k) process, NovaBay's Advanced i-Lid Cleanser can help patients with irritation of their eyelids by cleaning their lids and lashes and removing debris and microorganisms that often lead to vision problems.
Ron Najafi, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of NovaBay Pharmaceuticals, commented: "We believe ophthalmologists and optometrists will find that NovaBay's innovative Advanced i-Lid™ Cleanser offers significant advantages over currently marketed products that are merely 'detergent-based' lid and lash cleaners, which offer little to no benefit."
Surveys of eye doctors show that more than 33% of the people who see an ophthalmologist or optometrist have a condition that involves the inflammation of the eyelid. Typically, doctors treat the condition by recommending careful cleaning of the lid and lash margin with warm compress and mild soap. However, in many cases, this condition can become chronic, and antibiotics and topical steroids may be necessary. Successful treatment usually also requires several times per day cleaning of the lids and lashes of debris and micro-organisms, which contribute to the chronic inflammation and irritation.
NovaBay's Advanced i-Lid Cleanser offers a new option. Kathryn Najafi-Tagol, M.D., ophthalmologist and eye surgeon, glaucoma and cataract specialist and founder of the Eye Institute of Marin, has pioneered the use of i-Lid Cleanser to care for her patients. Dr. Najafi-Tagol is also a member of NovaBay's Ophthalmic Advisory Board and serves as Medical Monitor for NovaBay's conjunctivitis clinical trials. "Many of my patients who have been dealing with a condition known as blepharitis, which is the chronic irritation and accumulation of debris on the lids and lashes, have experienced beneficial effects and have been able to reduce or eliminate their need for other concurrent therapy, such as antibiotic steroid combinations," commented Dr. Najafi-Tagol. "I believe that NovaBay's advanced and unique i-Lid Cleanser has the potential to become the new standard of care for cleansing eyelids."
Blepharitis is caused by bacteria that produce symptoms such as: Inflammation of the eyelids, redness, irritation,itchy eyelids and the formation of dandruff-like scales on eyelashes.
For more on Dr. Najafi-Tagol and her patients discussing the i-Lid Cleanser benefits and the difference it makes, please see this video and read this product backgrounder.
The key innovation behind the i-Lid Cleanser is the stabilized form of pure hypochlorous acid solution (with no bleach impurities, which are often present in Dakin and Dakin-like solutions). In in vitro laboratory studies, hypochlorous acid has shown to be fast-acting against bacteria, biofilm and toxins. Hypochlorous acid made by the body's white blood cells breaks down quickly, but NovaBay was able to create a proprietary formulation in which hypochlorous acid is both stable and free from impurities.
Stephen Wilmarth, M.D., eye surgeon in Sacramento, CA and member of the NovaBay's Ophthalmic Advisory Board, commented: "NovaBay's i-Lid Cleanser is my first choice for patient's eye lid hygiene, uniformly preferred by my patients over other surfactant-based lid cleansers."
Added Steven J. Lichtenstein, M.D., associate professor of clinical surgery and pediatric ophthalmologist at the University of Illinois College of Medicine: "I have added i-Lid Cleanser to the antibiotic ointment regimen I've always used and have seen a definite improvement in many of my patients. Some of my patients' parents tell me that this has definitely been the best treatment we have tried."
NovaBay's i-Lid™ Cleanser is intended for use under the supervision of ophthalmologists, optometrists and other healthcare providers and is available through a prescription.
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