Alcon launches new hydrogen peroxide-based contact lens cleaning & disinfecting solution in the US

- CLEAR CARE® PLUS Cleaning & Disinfecting Solution is Alcon's next generation hydrogen peroxide lens care solution

- Provides sustained lens moisture[1] by combining proprietary HydraGlyde® Moisture Matrix technology with CLEAR CARE® hydrogen peroxide system

- More than 31 million US contact lens wearers use lenses that require daily cleaning[2]

News provided by

Novartis

Jun 25, 2015, 01:32 ET

FORT WORTH, Texas, June 25, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Alcon, the global eye care leader and a division of Novartis, announced today the US launch of CLEAR CARE^® PLUS Cleaning & Disinfecting Solution containing HydraGlyde^® Moisture Matrix technology, for cleaning and disinfecting contact lenses. Preservative-free hydrogen peroxide-based solutions effectively clean and disinfect contact lenses, resulting in a gentle solution when neutralized.

"Hydrogen-peroxide solutions offer exceptional disinfecting efficacy and have long been recognized as the gold standard by eye care professionals," said Bill Townsend, OD, FAAO. "Those who wear reusable soft contact lenses may want to consider including CLEAR CARE PLUS in their cleaning and disinfecting regimen."

More than 31 million contact lens wearers in the US use lenses that require daily cleaning². Among these wearers, nearly one in every six patients stops using their contact lenses, citing discomfort and dryness as primary reasons for contact lens intolerance^3-4. CLEAR CARE PLUS is preservative-free and the only hydrogen peroxide-based solution available in the United States with HydraGlyde Moisture Matrix technology.

"CLEAR CARE PLUS combines deep cleaning and outstanding disinfection with the added benefit of Alcon's proprietary wetting technology that surrounds soft contact lenses with lasting moisture, complementing moisture from the wearer's own tears," said Carla Mack, OD, MBA, FAAO, Director of Professional and Clinical Support, for US Vision Care at Alcon.

CLEAR CARE PLUS Cleaning & Disinfecting Solution is now available in the United States for over-the-counter purchase.

Important Information About CLEAR CARE and CLEAR CARE PLUS
The CLEAR CARE and CLEAR CARE PLUS Cleaning & Disinfecting Solutions contain 3% hydrogen peroxide and are indicated for use with soft (hydrophilic) and rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lenses. During the disinfection process, the hydrogen peroxide is neutralized in the special lens case provided to leave behind a preservative-free saline solution that is gentle on the eyes. Cleaned and disinfected lenses can be stored in the neutralized solution in the unopened lens case up to seven days. CLEAR CARE and CLEAR CARE PLUS require patients to follow special cleaning and disinfecting instructions, including ensuring the lenses remain in the special lens case for at least six hours to allow the hydrogen peroxide to neutralize. Special care is needed to follow directions to avoid accidental misuse.

Disclaimer
This press release contains expressed or implied forward-looking statements, including statements that can be identified by terminology such as "launches," "consider," or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements reflect the current views of the Group regarding future events, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by such statements. These expectations could be affected by, among other things, risks and factors referred to in the Risk Factors section of Novartis AG's current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update it in the future.

About Novartis
Novartis provides innovative healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, eye care and cost-saving generic pharmaceuticals. Novartis is the only global company with leading positions in these areas. In 2014, the Group achieved net sales of USD 58.0 billion, while R&D throughout the Group amounted to approximately USD 9.9 billion (USD 9.6 billion excluding impairment and amortization charges). Novartis Group companies employ approximately 120,000 full-time-equivalent associates. Novartis products are available in more than 180 countries around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.novartis.com.

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References

Muya L, Scott A, Alvord L, Nelson J, Lemp J. Wetting substantivity of a new hydrogen peroxide disinfecting solution on silicone hydrogel contact lenses. Poster presented at the British Contact Lens Association 39^th Clinical Conference & Exhibition, Liverpool, UK, May 29-31, 2015.
Alcon data on file, 2014.
Rumpakis K. New data on contact lens dropouts: An international perspective. Rev Optom. 2010:147(1):37-42.
The Definition and Classification of Dry Eye Disease: Report of the Research Subcommittee of the International Dry Eye WorkShop (2007). Ocular Surf. 2007 Apr;5(2):179-93.

SOURCE Novartis