Team Côte d'Azur - Côte d'Azur Economic Newsletter

Côte d’Azur ophthalmology specialists join forces to build on synergies and launch priority projects in 2009 for the visually impaired.

Last February saw the key players in the field of ophthalmology in the Alpes-Maritimes, Monaco and Corsica band together to form a new association. Founded by leading ophthalmological specialists Prof. Pierre Gastaud (CHU de Nice), Claude Claret (Horus Pharma), Pierre-Paul Elena (Iris Pharma), and Dr. Loïc Lozivit (a Nice-based ophthalmologist), Ophta Biothech’s goal is to create synergies between the members and use the wealth of technical and scientific knowledge available locally to give them a competitive edge and a higher international profile.

Now that the association is up and running, it is ready act and launch the priority projects for 2009.

2 questions to Claude Claret, CEO of Horus Pharma and President of Ophta Biotech:

1. The Côte d’Azur-Monaco-Corsica… what’s the overall picture for the ophthalmology sector?
The region has an exceptionally strong industrial base that includes specialist ophthalmology manufacturing laboratories as well as sales and marketing laboratories and service companies such as Allergan, Genevrier, MXM, Iris Pharma, Amo, Cooper Vision, Europhta, Octalia, Quantificare… It’s also particularly strong in the research field with at least 7 laboratories involved in ophthalmological research (CNRS, INSERM, IPMC, INRIA, Institut de signalisation, biologie du développement et cancer, Laboratoire de psychologie expérimentale quantitative, CAL).
We’re at the cutting edge of technology, with equipments such as the Cyclotron, which has been used since 1991 to treat over 3,500 patients suffering from eye cancer. And there is a large number of ophthalmologists available to treat a very big population, which includes a high number of elderly people, as well as many ophthalmology services in local hospitals.

2. Can you talk briefly about the main 2009 projects?
The most important point to highlight is that it’s patients who are at the heart of the Ophta Biotech initiative. We are working closely with patients’ associations, in order to select the right innovative projects, which will provide support and assistance to visually impaired people. This means that we might be just as easily interested in helping set-up an infrastructure, such as a center for low vision to help people suffering from retinal degeneration, as accompanying a start-up to get new innovative solutions on to the market. Our main focus in 2009 will be to open a center for low vision reeducation and to launch epidemiological ophthalmology studies. We also plan to increase our profile by participating in the leading international conferences on ophthalmological research as well as organizing a “Research and Vision” day. And we’re already working on reinforcing ties with researchers at the l’Institut de la Vision in Paris.

Ophta Biotech: tel. +33.4.93.19.54.07