November is Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month at Prevent Blindness
To help support the fight against vision loss and blindness due to diabetes, Oxurion NV (formerly known as ThromboGenics), a biopharmaceutical company developing innovative treatments to preserve vision in patients with diseases affecting the back of the eye, has partnered with Prevent Blindness. During the Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month in November, Oxurion will help Prevent Blindness promote awareness and education of the damaging effects that diabetes may have on vision and eye health.
According to the recent Prevent Blindness study, “Future of Vision: Forecasting the Prevalence and Costs of Vision Problems,” there are more than 8.1 million Americans with diabetic retinopathy. The projected total cases of diabetic retinopathy will increase by 35 percent to 10.9 million by 2032, and by 63 percent to 13.2 million by 2050. Due largely to the high mortality risk among this population, diabetic retinopathy patients have an average age of 66 years, the youngest of any of the leading eye diseases, including cataract, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration.
The National Eye Institute states diabetic eye disease can cause as many as 25,000 new cases of blindness every year. Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in adults according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“Diabetes is a disease that takes a terrible toll on many parts of the body, including our eyes,” said Jeff Todd, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness. “By working across multiple sectors, as with this partnership with Oxurion, we can help provide the public with the information they need to work with their doctors to help preserve healthy vision.”
Patrik De Haes, M.D., CEO of Oxurion NV, added, “We are proud to support Prevent Blindness’ efforts to preserve vision for people living with diabetic eye disease, a leading cause of blindness for adults of working age worldwide. It is crucial for our team to partner with organizations such as Prevent Blindness as we work together to raise awareness and provide educational information for patients and their families during Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month and beyond.”
For more information on diabetic eye disease, please call Prevent Blindness at (800) 331-2020 or visit preventblindness.org/diabetes.
Download a copy of the Diabetic Eye Disease Month/Oxurion Press Release.
About Oxurion
Oxurion (Euronext Brussels: OXUR) is a biopharmaceutical company developing treatments to preserve vision in patients with diseases affecting the back of the eye. The company has built a diverse portfolio of disease-modifying therapies, including treatments for diabetic eye disease, a leading cause of blindness in people of working age worldwide.
Oxurion’s clinical pipeline consists of THR-317, a PlGF inhibitor, for the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME) and MacTel1; THR-149, a plasma kallikrein inhibitor for the treatment of DME; and THR- 687, a pan-RGD integrin antagonist for the treatment of diabetic retinopathy and DME. Further new drug candidates are currently being assessed and developed for the treatment of diabetic eye disease.
Oxurion owns the global rights to Jetrea® (ocriplasmin), the only pharmacological vitreolysis drug approved for the treatment of symptomatic vitreomacular adhesion (in the U.S.) and vitreomacular traction (outside the U.S.).
Oxurion is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium, and is listed on the Euronext Brussels exchange under the symbol OXUR. In the US, Oxurion NV operates ThromboGenics, Inc. as a subsidiary company. More information is available at www.oxurion.com.
