SAN RAMON, Calif., August 12, 2021—The Chinese National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), which regulates medical devices and pharmaceuticals, has approved CooperVision MiSight® 1 day contact lenses for use within the country following a priority review. The innovative soft contact lenses now become the first indicated product of any type in China that may slow the progression of axial length1.
“Everyone at CooperVision is committed to combatting the increasing prevalence and severity of myopia among children. It has become one of the world’s most pressing global eye health issues—with implications for generations to come,” said Daniel G. McBride, President, CooperVision. “We are enthusiastic about MiSight® 1 day contact lenses’ impact in partnership with highly-knowledgeable ophthalmologists and health care leaders across China. This development will further expand the global reach of our evidence-based technologies and clinical successes.”
Myopia—also known as nearsightedness and short-sightedness—is projected to affect the vision and increase risks to ocular health of approximately five billion people by 2050, more than doubling today’s numbers.2 Myopic progression has been linked to sight-threatening conditions later in life, such as cataracts, retinal detachment, glaucoma3, and myopic maculopathy.4
In China, myopia prevalence has increased at a significant rate in recent years. While 14.3 percent of children six years old are myopic,5 prevalence soars to 80.5 percent among high school students.5
Myopia prevalence in China is up 2.5 percent from 2019 to 2020, commonly attributed to children’s increased indoor time and digital screen use. Myopia rates in primary schools are rising rapidly as children age, from 12.9 percent in the first grade5 to 59.6 percent in the sixth grade.5 On average, myopia increased by 9.3 percentage points per grade.5
Global Myopia Management Leadership
For more than a decade, CooperVision has been at the forefront of creating the global myopia management category to help millions of children and their caregivers in partnership with the optometry and ophthalmology communities.
CooperVision’s innovative MiSight® 1 day contact lenses are now available in more than 25 countries. They were the first and remain the only U.S. FDA-approved* soft contact lens designed for myopia control with a proven ability to slow the progression of nearsightedness in children aged 8-12 at the initiation of treatment.†6 The lenses serve as the foundation for the company’s Brilliant Futures Myopia Management Program™, which is available in select countries around the world.
“Alongside increasing demand for MiSight® 1 day are stories of success originating from the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. We’re constantly hearing from eye care professionals about how the lens is helping grow their business and from partners about how our efforts have galvanized the eye care community to take on myopia. And of course, we hear every day about the difference that MiSight® 1 day is making in the lives of children—the most important outcome of all,” noted McBride.
The company has built one of the most comprehensive myopia management portfolios in the world. CooperVision Specialty EyeCare ortho-k brands include Paragon CRT® and CRT Dual Axis®, Procornea DreamLite®, and GP Specialists. Earlier this year, CooperCompanies and EssilorLuxottica entered into a joint venture agreement to accelerate the commercialization of innovative SightGlass Vision® spectacle lenses, which are designed to reduce the progression of myopia in children. Approval and availability for each product are country-dependent.
The company is a leading supporter of multiple myopia-focused collaborative efforts, including programs from the Global Myopia Awareness Coalition, the World Council of Optometry, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness.
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* U.S. Indications for Use: MiSight® 1 day (omafilcon A) soft (hydrophilic) contact lenses for daily wear are indicated for the correction of myopic ametropia and for slowing the progression of myopia in children with non-diseased eyes, who at the initiation of treatment are 8-12 years of age and have a refraction of -0.75 to -4.00 diopters (spherical equivalent) with ≤ 0.75 diopters of astigmatism. The lens is to be discarded after each removal.
† Compared to a single vision 1 day lens over a 3-year period.
About CooperVision
CooperVision, a division of CooperCompanies (NYSE:COO), is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of contact lenses. The company produces a full array of daily disposable, two-week and monthly soft contact lenses that feature advanced materials and optics, and premium rigid gas permeable lenses for orthokeratology and scleral designs. CooperVision has a strong heritage of addressing the toughest vision challenges such as astigmatism, presbyopia, childhood myopia, and highly irregular corneas; and offers the most complete portfolio of spherical, toric and multifocal products available. Through a combination of innovative products and focused practitioner support, the company brings a refreshing perspective to the marketplace, creating real advantages for customers and wearers. For more information, visit www.coopervision.com.
About CooperCompanies
CooperCompanies (“Cooper”) is a global medical device company public traded on NYSE (NYSE: COO). Cooper operates through two business units, CooperVision and CooperSurgical. CooperVision brings a refreshing perspective on vision care with a commitment to developing a wide range of high-quality products for contact lens wearers and providing focused practitioner support. CooperSurgical is committed to advancing the health of women, babies and families with its diversified portfolio of products and services focusing on medical devices and fertility & genomics. Headquartered in San Ramon, Calif., Cooper has a workforce of more than 12,000 with products sold in over 100 countries. For more information, please visit www.coopercos.com.
Media Contact
Mike McDougall, APR, Fellow PRSA
McDougall Communications for CooperVision, Inc.
mike@mcdougallpr.com or +1-585-545-1815
1 MiSight® is indicated for the correction of myopia for patients with non-diseased phakic eyes, who at the initiation of treatment are 8-12 years of age and have a refraction of -0.75 D to -4.00 D with ≤ 0.75 diopters of astigmatism; Meanwhile, it has the dual focal design with alternative multiple rings, which allows part of the light passing through the optical zone to focus in front of the retina, forming myopic defocus, and expecting to slow down the change of axial length of the patients. Fitting and evaluation of the product should be in medical institutions by ophthalmologists with intermediate title or above and conduct regular check. It must be used in strict accordance with the IFU requirements.
2 Holden et al, - Global Prevalence of myopia and high myopia and temporal trends from 2000 through 2050. Ophthalmology 2016. 123(5):1036-1042
3 What You Should Know if Your Child is Nearsighted (Infographic). Retrieved October 29, 2019, from: https://www.allaboutvision.com/parents/myopia-facts-infographic.htm
4 Macular Society. Myopia, Pathological Myopia and Myopic Macular Degeneration. Retrieved October 29, 2019, from: https://www.macularsociety.org/sites/default/files/resource/Macular%20Society%20Factsheet%20-%20Myopic%20Macular%20Degeneration%202017%20-%20ACCESS.pdf
5 National Health Commission. 13 July 2021. Myopia survey conducted from September to December 2020, covering 8,604 schools across the country and screening a total of 2.477 million students. Retrieved from: http://www.nhc.gov.cn/xwzb/webcontroller.do?titleSeq=11389&gecstype=1
6 Chamberlain P, et al. A 3-year randomized clinical trial of MiSight® lenses for myopia control. Optom Vis Sci. 2019; 96(8):556-567.