[April 13, 2017] |
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Second Sight's Argus II Retinal Prosthesis Implanted in First Patient in Asia
Second Sight (News - Alert) Medical Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYES) ("Second Sight" or
"the Company"), a developer, manufacturer and marketer of implantable
visual prosthetics that are intended to provide some useful vision to
blind patients, today announced that the Argus® II Retinal Prosthesis
System ("Argus II") has been implanted in the first patient in Asia
through an exclusive distribution partnership with Orient Europharma
Co., Ltd. (OEP) and with charitable support from the Hong-Lu Foundation
in Taiwan. The Argus II was provided under special import permits
authorized by the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA).
The surgical procedure was performed by Dr. Yih-Shiou Hwang and his team
at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (CGMH), in Linkou, Taiwan in a
40-year-old patient who suffers from blindness caused by retinal
degeneration. Dr. Paulo Stanga, Consultant, Ophthalmologist &
Vitreoretinal Surgeon at the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, UK
supervised the implantation.
"We are very pleased to expand the availability of the Argus II to Asia
as we continue to offer our technology to patients with Retinitis
Pigmentosa (RP), providing them with the potential opportunity to lead
more independent lives," said Will McGuire, President and CEO of Second
Sight. "We look forward to supporting broader access to the Argus II to
patients with RP throughout Asia and the other regions we serve."
About the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System
Second Sight's Argus II System provides electrical stimulation that
bypasses the defunct retinal cells and stimulates remaining viable cells
inducing visual perception in individuals with severe to profound
Retinitis Pigmentosa. The Argus II works by converting images captured
by a miniature video camera mounted on the patient's glasses into a
series of small electrical pulses, which are transmitted wirelessly to
an array of electrodes implanted on the surface of the retina. These
pulses stimulate the retina's remaining cells, intending to result in
the perception of patterns of light in the brain. The patient must learn
to interpret these visual patterns, having the potential to regain some
visual function. The Argus II was the first artificial retina to receive
widespread approval, and is offered at approved centers in Canada,
France, ermany, Italy, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Switzerland,
Turkey, United Kingdom, and the U.S.
About Second Sight
Second Sight's mission is to develop, manufacture and market innovative
implantable visual prosthetics to enable blind individuals to achieve
greater independence. Second Sight has developed and manufactures the
Argus® II Retinal Prosthesis System. Second Sight is currently
conducting a trial to test the safety and utility of the Argus II in
individuals with Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Second Sight is
also developing the Orion™ I Visual Cortical Prosthesis that is intended
to restore some vision to individuals who are blind due to many causes
other than preventable or treatable conditions. U.S. Headquarters are in
Sylmar, CA (News - Alert), and European Headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland. For
more information, visit www.secondsight.com.
About Orient Europharma (OEP)
Orient Europharma. Co., Ltd. (4120.TT) Headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan,
is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the manufacturing,
marketing and distribution of both ethical and OTC products. OEP stands
among top 30 pharmaceutical companies in both Taiwan and the Philippines
based on IMS surveys, with an annual turnover of $150 million U.S.
dollars. With subsidiaries across Asia and a strong sales network of 360
dedicated and experienced sales representatives covering CNS, CV,
oncology, ophthalmology, respiratory and women's health, OEP has the
ability and expertise to commercialize products throughout the region.
The key to OEP's success lies in the enthusiasm and professionalism of
its employees, who take pride in their in day-to-day work knowing their
contributions make a difference to patients.
Safe Harbor
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the
meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and
Section 21E of the Securities Exchange and Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended, which are intended to be covered by the "safe harbor" created
by those sections. All statements in this release that are not based on
historical fact are "forward looking statements." These statements may
be identified by words such as "estimates," "anticipates," "projects,"
"plans," or "planned," "seeks," "may," "will," "expects," "intends,"
"believes," "should" and similar expressions or the negative versions
thereof and which also may be identified by their context. All
statements that address operating performance or events or developments
that Second Sight expects or anticipates will occur in the future are
forward-looking statements. While management has based any forward
looking statements included in this release on its current expectations,
the information on which such expectations were based may change.
Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties
which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the
forward-looking statements, as a result of various factors including
those risks and uncertainties described in the Risk Factors and in
Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results
of Operations sections of our Annual Report on Form 10-K as filed
on March 16, 2017, and our other reports filed from time to time with
the Securities and Exchange Commission. We urge you to consider those
risks and uncertainties in evaluating our forward-looking statements. We
caution readers not to place undue reliance upon any such
forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Except
as otherwise required by the federal securities laws, we disclaim any
obligation or undertaking to publicly release any updates or revisions
to any forward-looking statement contained herein (or elsewhere) to
reflect any change in our expectations with regard thereto or any change
in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is
based.

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