Cataract formation represents a serious problem in the elderly with approximately 25% of the population over 65 and about 50% over 80 suffering serious loss of vision as a result of this condition. Not only do cataracts diminish quality of life, but they also impose a severe strain on global health care budgets. In the US, 43% of all visits to ophthalmologists by Medicare patients are associated with cataract. Surgery represents the standard treatment of this condition and from this patient cohort 1.35 million cataract operations are performed annually costing of $ 3.5 billion. Unfortunately the cost of surgical treatment and the fact that patients so heavily outstrip surgical facilities results in many patients being blinded by cataracts. This situation is particularly serious in developing countries and worldwide 17 million people are blind because of cataract formation and the problem is set to grow in parallel with the aging population. In any event, surgical removal of cataracts may not represent the optimal solution. Although generally recognized as being one of the safest operations, there is a significant complication rate associated with this surgical procedure. Opacification of the posterior lens capsule occurs in 30-50% of patients within two years of cataract removal requiring laser treatment. A further 0.8% suffer retinal detachments, approximately 1% are re-hospitalized for corneal problems and about 0.1% presented with endophthalmitis. Although risks are small, the large number of procedures performed means that annually, 26,000 individuals develop serious complications as a result of cataract surgery in the US alone. Thus, risk and cost factors are increasingly driving the investigation of pharmaceutical approaches to the maintenance of lens transparency. To address this issue Innovative Vision Products have developed N-Acetylcarnosine, an ophthalmic drug suitable for the non-surgical treatment of age-related cataracts. This molecule protects the crystalline lens from oxidative stress-induced damage and in a recent clinical trial it was shown to evoke effective, safe and long-term improvement in sight. In view of this data the company is now seeking pharmaceutical partners to take N-Acetylcarnosine towards the market.

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