Kubota Vision Announces Agreement with AUROLAB for Development, Manufacturing, Supply, and Distribution License of eyeMO

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kubota Vision Inc. (“Kubota Vision” or the “Company”), a clinical-stage specialty ophthalmology company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kubota Pharmaceutical Holdings Co., Ltd. (Tokyo 4596), today announced the execution of a collaboration letter of intent between Kubota Vision and AUROLAB (Madurai, India). The purpose of the agreement is for Kubota Vision to provide AUROLAB with an exclusive license for product development, manufacturing, and distribution of eyeMO (Patient Based Ophthalmology Suite), a portable, low-cost, home-based, remote and in-office ophthalmic OCT^*1 device for monitoring of retinal diseases remotely or in an office setting. AUROLAB intends to commercialize eyeMO in its core markets of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, as well as select underserved markets in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East.

AUROLAB is engaged primarily in the manufacture of a wide range of high-quality ophthalmic consumables, such as intraocular lenses, surgical sutures, pharmaceutical products, surgical blades, and equipment. It is the manufacturing facility of Aravind Eye Care Hospital (AECS), which is one of the most prestigious eye hospitals worldwide, with 14 eye hospitals, 6 outpatient eye examination centers, and 108 initial eye care facilities in southern India. It performs more than 4.5 million surgeries and treatments annually, one of the highest numbers of annual surgeries in the world. It was founded by Dr. Govindappa Venkataswamy in 1976 with the mission to eliminate needless blindness. AECS is known for its high-quality care and innovative business model, which allows it to provide free or low-cost treatment to those who cannot afford to pay. It offers a wide range of services, including eye exams, surgeries, and rehabilitation services.

Ryo Kubota, MD, PhD, Chairman, President, and CEO of Kubota Vision Inc., stated, “We are excited to accelerate our goal of bringing eyeMO to people in need around the world by partnering with AUROLAB, part of the Aravind Hospital Group. Aravind Hospital Group is the world's largest eye hospital, performing 450,000 eye surgeries annually and distributing eye care equipment in over 160 countries worldwide. We believe that combining performance with cost-effectiveness is an important factor in promoting eyeMO in the global market. We will continue to develop and expand the applications of eyeMO to alert patients and their physicians of disease progression and re-treatment needs by facilitating at-home and in-office use in countries and regions where medical care is limited.”

Mr. R.D. Sriram, Managing Director of AUROLAB, stated, “We are happy to align with Kubota Vision in making the portable OCT a much-needed device for low-resource settings, especially when patients’ access to eye clinics is challenging.”

^*1 Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive tool that uses light waves to take cross-section pictures of the retina.

About eyeMO (Patient Based Ophthalmology Suite)

eyeMO is a low-cost, home-based, ophthalmic self-monitoring OCT device. This small handheld device addresses needs in mobile Health (mHealth^*2) applications for self-monitoring of retina health by patients in the home and in remote field locations. eyeMO aims to improve ophthalmic treatment outcomes in patients diagnosed with and treated for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic macular edema (DME), and other neovascular retinal diseases. eyeMO is being designed to detect nascent disease progression and support patient re-treatment prior to irreversible vision loss due to disease progression. Key features are low cost and a patient-friendly design to be used directly by patients at home. eyeMO is being designed to capture changes in retinal anatomy. Network connectivity and cloud-based technologies are used to alert the patients and their physicians of disease progression and re-treatment needs.

^*2 mHealth refers to the usage of mobile communications technology and devices to enhance access to healthcare information, improve distribution of routine and emergency health services, and provide diagnostic services.

About Kubota Vision Inc.

Kubota Vision Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kubota Pharmaceutical Holdings Co., Ltd. (Tokyo 4596), committed to translating innovation into a diverse portfolio of drugs and devices to preserve and restore vision for millions of people worldwide. Kubota Pharmaceutical group’s pipeline includes a wearable device for myopia control using Kubota Glass technology and a handheld OCT device for the monitoring of neovascular retinal diseases, to be used directly by patients.

https://www.kubotavision.com/; https://www.kubotaholdings.co.jp/en/

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Media and Investor Relations Contact:
Keiko Yoshino
Phone: +81-3-6550-8928
Email: pr@kubotaholdings.co.jp