Today, 15 million people have diabetes in North America, plus another 23 million in Western Europe. Those numbers continue to grow by more than 4% per year. Each year up to 24,000 adults lose their sight because of diabetic complications. In fact, one out of every ten health care dollars spent in the United States is spent on diabetes and its complications.Once approval is granted, we expect the total addressable market for our target regions (North America and Western Europe) will exceed $10 billion in the first year.

A cataract is a clouding of the eye's natural lens, which lies behind the iris and the pupil. The lens works much like a camera lens, focusing light onto the retina at the back of the eye. The lens also adjusts the eye's focus, letting us see things clearly both up close and far away. The lens is mostly made of water and protein. The protein is arranged in a precise way that keeps the lens clear and lets light pass through it. As we age, some of the protein may clump together and start to cloud a small area of the lens. This is a cataract, and over time, it may grow larger and cloud more of the lens, making it harder to see.d

The same eye drop that we are developing to combat diabetic retinopathy will also slow down or prevent diabetic cataract formation. Cataract surgery is the most common type of surgery in the United States. The daily use of our eye drop, can slow down or prevent the development of diabetic cataracts, potentially avoiding costly surgery.