News in brief

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the Implantable Miniature Telescope (IMT) to improve vision in some patients with end-stage age-related macular degeneration.

The IMP replaces the natural lens and provides an image that has been magnified in options of X2.2 or X2.7 on the healthy proportion the retina. In a 219-patient, multi-centre clinical study of the IMT, 90 per cent of patients achieved at least a two-line gain in their distance or best-corrected visual acuity.

Alcon's Independent Director Committee (IDC) has created and funded a $50m Alcon Litigation Trust to protect the interests of Alcon and its minority shareholders in any deal between Alcon and a majority shareholder.