Alcon has announced the completion of its acquisition of LumiThera, Inc., a company recognized for its light-based innovations in ophthalmology. The deal brings the Valeda® photobiomodulation (PBM) device into Alcon’s portfolio—the first and only technology shown to provide patients with early and intermediate dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) an average one-line improvement in visual acuity after two years of treatment.
Until now, treatment options for dry AMD have been limited, with therapies typically introduced only at advanced stages of the disease. With Valeda PBM, Alcon enters the clinic-based retina space, complementing its long-standing leadership in surgical retina.
“Since Alcon entered the retina space in 1997, we’ve focused our efforts mainly in surgical, delivering leading products and solutions for the operating room. As we welcome LumiThera and Valeda PBM to Alcon, we move into the retina clinic and the dry AMD space,” said Ian Bell, SVP, Chief Operating Officer of Alcon.
The Valeda PBM device uses non-phototoxic light therapy delivered through three wavelengths. Clinical trial data from the LIGHTSITE I, II and III studies have shown consistent gains in visual acuity, with 97% of patients reporting no discomfort during treatments.
Dr. Allen C. Ho, Director of Retina Research at Wills Eye Hospital and Chairman of the Alcon Research Institute Executive Committee, highlighted the significance of the technology: “Treating dry AMD earlier—before the development of advanced disease—has always made sense, but we did not have technology that could improve vision until the introduction of Valeda PBM.”
Valeda PBM is already available in the U.S., as well as in several European and Latin American countries. Alcon plans to generate revenue from the technology in 2025 in existing approved markets and expand into additional countries beginning in 2026, pending regulatory approvals.
For more details, visit myValeda.com.
Source: Alcon
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