MULLICA HILL, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--OcuMedic, Inc., the developer of new, drug-eluting soft contact lens and clear corneal bandage technology, today announced the appointment of Paul Karpecki, OD, FAAO, as the company’s lead optometric advisor and member of its Scientific Advisory Board. His role with the company is in the development of its activities, communications, meetings and strategies relating to research and product development.
“Dr. Karpecki is a thought leader and pioneer in the field of corneal health research with a focus on dry eye - a condition that affects millions of people worldwide,” said Keith D. Ignotz, President and Chief Executive Officer of OcuMedic, Inc. “Dr. Karpecki’s insights and contributions to the commercialization of our technology will lead to better products that gain rapid uptake in the $16 billion global eye care therapeutic market toward replacing conventional eye drops.”
“Dr. Karpecki’s knowledge of the field is unmatched, and his acceptance of a leadership position with OcuMedic is a further validation of the potential of our technology to improve eye care for millions of people across the globe,” said Mark E. Byrne, PhD, Founding Head and Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Rowan University, inventor of the technology, and previously a distinguished professor at Auburn University and Chief Technical Officer of OcuMedic, Inc.
Dr. Karpecki is Director of Cornea Services at the Kentucky Eye Institute, and also, recently completed a preceptorship in retina at Retina Associates of Kentucky all in Lexington, KY. He also serves a director for the advanced ocular surface disease clinic at Gaddie Eye Centers in Louisville KY. He is also Associate Professor at the University of Pikeville Kentucky College of Optometry. Dr. Karpecki has moderated or chaired the Congressional Hearing on the Impact of Dry Eye Disease (July 2017), the Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society (TFOS) Symposium (September 2016), and the Dry Eye Summit (December 2014). He also served on the International Task Force on Dry Eye and the TFOS DEWS II Diagnostic Methodology sub-committee and is a TFOS Global Ambassador.
His clinical interests include cornea, dry eye, and retinal disease including age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. He serves as a research investigator for numerous studies in these areas. He is the Chief Medical Editor for Review of Optometry. Dr. Karpecki has authored over 20 peer-reviewed publications and over 300 articles that have appeared in non-peer reviewed journals, as well as 7 book chapters. Selected as one of the 20 most influential in Optometry, he is a sought-after speaker who has given over 1000 invited lectures. Dr. Karpecki earned his Optometry degree from Indiana University (graduating with Honors and Beta Sigma Kappa). Following graduation, he went on to complete a Durrie Fellowship in Cornea and Refractive Surgery at Hunkeler Eye Clinic in Kansas City, Missouri, in affiliation with Pennsylvania College of Optometry.
OcuMedic is expected to begin clinical studies necessary for U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of its first product – drug-eluting therapeutic lens/clear corneal bandage for the delivery of drugs after surgery - this year, first as an in-vivo study for the FDA to navigate into the Phase 1 – 2 human trials in 2019.
The technology is covered by nine U.S. patents and is expected to be the first product of its kind on the market, once approved.
Approximately six million Americans undergo some type of eye surgery every year – four million cataract and one million post-corneal abrasion surgeries and 800,000 Lasik procedures. All patients require post-operative care which includes eye drops that can wash out quickly with only about 5% of the therapy reaching the target tissue. Eye drops can be hard to administer, and the low delivered concentration of medication tends to aggravate post-operative complications costing $70 billion per year. Dry eye disease affects greater than five million people in the U.S. and approximately 40 million worldwide and is the most frequent complaint and reason to visit an eye care professional in the U.S. Approximately three million Americans suffer from Glaucoma; worldwide, more than 60 million people are affected.
About OcuMedic, Inc. --
OcuMedic, Inc. is the developer of the world’s first, drug-eluting therapeutic lens/clear corneal bandage for the delivery of drugs for the global ophthalmic market. Invented by Mark Byrne, Ph.D. distinguished engineering professor and Founding Head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Rowan University, the therapeutic lens is a soft contact developed in the most widely used safe lens material that precisely controls the release of a “first line” anti-inflammatory drug that targets post-operative eye care to reduce healing time and costly complications. The device is a platform technology, with OcuMedic demonstrating controlled release of a number of therapeutics for the duration of wear, targeted at the large and growing surgery, dry eye, corneal abrasion, and glaucoma markets. For more information, visit http://ocumedic.net/
(Editors please note: Image of Dr. Karpecki at https://goo.gl/U71PFX)
