ThromboGenics announces Dr Julia Haller to present Ocriplasmin Phase III Responder Analysis at Opening Session of AAO (American Academy of Ophthalmology) Retina Subspecialty Day.

ThromboGenics NV (Euronext Brussels: THR), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative ophthalmic medicines, announces that three leading retinal specialists will present the responder analysis on ocriplasmin, a potentially novel treatment for retinal disorders, at the 2011 AAO Annual Meeting in Orlando, USA (21-25 October 2011).

The presentations include the opening session of the Retina Subspecialty Day by Dr Julia Haller, Ophthalmologist-in-Chief at the Wills Eye Institute, Professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at Thomas Jefferson University. The Retina Subspecialty Day aims to provide up-to-date, relevant topics and insights into new treatments for retina specialists from around the world.   

In addition, Dr Peter Kaiser has been selected to present his paper on ocriplasmin for the treatment of macular holes at the Best of the Posterior Segment Specialty Meetings. This presentation has been selected by the AAO Special Projects Committee based on the best data presentations from major retina meetings during 2011. Dr Kaiser presented a review of these data at the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS; please see press release dated 22 August 2011).   

The AAO is the largest U.S membership association of ophthalmologists. It also includes more than 7,000 international members. Its annual meeting is the largest gathering of ophthalmologists in the world, with approximately 10,000 attendees at the 2011 meeting.

Ocriplasmin is a novel pharmacological agent for the treatment of symptomatic vitreomacular adhesion (VMA) including macular hole. Symptomatic VMA is a progressive condition that if left untreated generally leads to further decrease in vision and potential for irreversible damage as well as complications. Market research conducted by ThromboGenics suggests that there are approximately a total of 500,000 patients in the major markets of the EU and the US who could initially benefit from ocriplasmin. The Marketing Authorization Application for ocriplasmin has been accepted for review in Europe. If approved, ocriplasmin will be the first pharmacological treatment for a condition which is currently only treated when the disease progresses to significant complications and symptoms that warrant surgery.