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EMERYVILLE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 23, 2014--NovaBay ® Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE MKT: NBY), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing topical non-antibiotic antimicrobial products, today announced that it is introducing a new eye care product, i-Lid™ Cleanser. The product is being introduced at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (booth number 583) being held in Boston, MA, April 25-29, 2014. Already cleared by the FDA through its 510(k) process, NovaBay’s Advanced i-Lid Cleanser can help patients with irritation of their eyelids by cleaning their lids and lashes and removing debris and microorganisms that often lead to vision problems.
Ron Najafi, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of NovaBay Pharmaceuticals, commented: “We believe ophthalmologists and optometrists will find that NovaBay’s innovative Advanced i-Lid™ Cleanser offers significant advantages over currently marketed products that are merely ‘detergent-based’ lid and lash cleaners, which offer little to no benefit.”
Surveys of eye doctors show that more than 33% of the people who see an ophthalmologist or optometrist have a condition that involves the inflammation of the eyelid. Typically, doctors treat the condition by recommending careful cleaning of the lid and lash margin with warm compress and mild soap. However, in many cases, this condition can become chronic, and antibiotics and topical steroids may be necessary. Successful treatment usually also requires several times per day cleaning of the lids and lashes of debris and micro-organisms, which contribute to the chronic inflammation and irritation.
NovaBay’s Advanced i-Lid Cleanser offers a new option. Kathryn Najafi-Tagol, M.D., ophthalmologist and eye surgeon, glaucoma and cataract specialist and founder of the Eye Institute of Marin, has pioneered the use of i-Lid Cleanser to care for her patients. Dr. Najafi-Tagol is also a member of NovaBay’s Ophthalmic Advisory Board and serves as Medical Monitor for NovaBay’s conjunctivitis clinical trials. “Many of my patients who have been dealing with a condition known as blepharitis, which is the chronic irritation and accumulation of debris on the lids and lashes, have experienced beneficial effects and have been able to reduce or eliminate their need for other concurrent therapy, such as antibiotic steroid combinations,” commented Dr. Najafi-Tagol. “I believe that NovaBay’s advanced and unique i-Lid Cleanser has the potential to become the new standard of care for cleansing eyelids.”
Blepharitis is caused by bacteria that produce symptoms such as: Inflammation of the eyelids, redness, irritation,itchy eyelids and the formation of dandruff-like scales on eyelashes.
For more on Dr. Najafi-Tagol and her patients discussing the i-Lid Cleanser benefits and the difference it makes, please see this video and read this product backgrounder.
The key innovation behind the i-Lid Cleanser is the stabilized form of pure hypochlorous acid solution (with no bleach impurities, which are often present in Dakin and Dakin-like solutions). In in vitro laboratory studies, hypochlorous acid has shown to be fast-acting against bacteria, biofilm and toxins. Hypochlorous acid made by the body’s white blood cells breaks down quickly, but NovaBay was able to create a proprietary formulation in which hypochlorous acid is both stable and free from impurities.
Stephen Wilmarth, M.D., eye surgeon in Sacramento, CA and member of the NovaBay’s Ophthalmic Advisory Board, commented: "NovaBay’s i-Lid Cleanser is my first choice for patient's eye lid hygiene, uniformly preferred by my patients over other surfactant-based lid cleansers."
Added Steven J. Lichtenstein, M.D., associate professor of clinical surgery and pediatric ophthalmologist at the University of Illinois College of Medicine: “I have added i-Lid Cleanser to the antibiotic ointment regimen I’ve always used and have seen a definite improvement in many of my patients. Some of my patients’ parents tell me that this has definitely been the best treatment we have tried.”
NovaBay’s i-Lid™ Cleanser is intended for use under the supervision of ophthalmologists, optometrists and other healthcare providers and is available through a prescription.
Conference Call Today
NovaBay is hosting a conference call today at 11:00 am ET (8:00 am PT) to provide an overview of the i-Lid Cleanser. The call will be hosted by Ron Najafi, Ph.D., Chairman and CEO, and Tom Paulson, Chief Financial Officer. David Stroman, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Ophthalmology, at NovaBay, and Kathryn Najafi-Tagol, M.D., ophthalmologist and eye surgeon, glaucoma and cataract specialist and founder of the Eye Institute of Marin, will also available to answer questions.
LIVE CALL: 877-407-2987 (U.S./Canada) 201-378-4918 (International) WEBCAST URL: http://novabay.equisolvewebcast.com/0423-invcall
REPLAY: 877-660-6853 (U.S./Canada) 201-612-7415 (International) Conference ID: 13580898 (Replay available from April 23, 2014 at 3 pm ET until April 30, 2014 at 3 pm ET)
The conference call will contain forward-looking statements. Interested parties who wish to listen to the webcast should visit the Investors section of NovaBay's website at http://novabay.com/investors/events. The information provided on the teleconference is accurate only at the time of the conference call, and NovaBay will take no responsibility for providing updated information except as required by law.
About NovaBay Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Going Beyond Antibiotics ®
NovaBay Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on addressing the unmet therapeutic needs of the global, topical anti-infective market.
About i-Lid™ Cleanser
i-Lid Cleanser contains 0.01% pure hypochlorous acid in saline (with no bleach impurities, which are often present in Dakin and Dakin-like solutions). Bleach impurities impede the growth of fibroblasts. Hypochlorous acid is a preservative in solution in NovaBay’s i-Lid Cleanser.
i-Lid™ Cleanser is intended for use under the supervision of healthcare professionals for cleansing and removal of foreign material, including: microorganisms and debris from wounds; cleaning minor cuts, minor burns, superficial abrasions, and minor irritations of the skin; as well as moistening absorbent wound dressings. It is also intended for moistening and debriding acute and chronic dermal lesions, such as: Stage I-IV pressure ulcers, stasis ulcers, leg ulcers, diabetic foot ulcers, post surgical wounds, first and second degree burns, as well as grafted and donor sites.
Forward-looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements and opinions, which are based upon management's current expectations, assumptions, estimates, projections and beliefs. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the general use of antibiotics in the United States and NovaBay’s possible effect on that use. The words “expect,” “potential,” “believe,” “may,” “lead,” and “will” are intended to identify these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or achievements to be materially different and adverse from those expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties relating to difficulties or delays in development, clinical trial, regulatory approval, production and marketing of the company's product candidates, unexpected adverse side effects or inadequate therapeutic efficacy of the product candidates, the uncertainty of patent protection for the company's intellectual property or trade secrets, the company's ability to obtain additional financing as necessary and unanticipated research and development and other costs. Other risks relating to NovaBay and Aganocide compounds, including risks that could cause results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements in this press release, are detailed in NovaBay's latest Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, especially under the heading "Risk Factors." The forward-looking statements in this release speak only as of this date, and NovaBay disclaims any intent or obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statement except as required by law.
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CONTACT: NovaBay Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Thomas J. Paulson, 510-899-8809
Chief Financial Officer
Contact T. Paulson
Ana Kapor, 510-899-8889
Director, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications
Contact A. Kapor
KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA CALIFORNIA MASSACHUSETTS
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: HEALTH BIOTECHNOLOGY OPTICAL PHARMACEUTICAL
SOURCE: NovaBay Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Copyright Business Wire 2014
PUB: 04/23/2014 07:00 AM/DISC: 04/23/2014 07:00 AM
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