Aequus Pharmaceuticals Inc. is pleased to announce that Health Canada has approved Zimed® PF for the reduction of elevated intraocular pressure in patients with open-angled glaucoma or ocular hypertension. Affecting more than 700,000 people in Canada, glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness in North America.
Zimed® PF is the first prostaglandin analog that is preservative free and offered in an easy-to-use multi-dose bottle in Canada. PGAs are commonly prescribed first-line to reduce IOP. The vast majority of medications currently available include preservatives such as Benzalkonium Chloride. Chronic exposure to BAK has been found to increase the likelihood of experiencing Ocular Surface Disease and reduce patient adherence.
“We have heard from the eyecare professionals that there is a need for preservative-free alternatives. The PGA market continues to grow year-over-year and we are excited to provide a new option for Canadian health care providers and their patients.”
Grant Larsen, CCO of Aequus Pharma
Zimed PF is contained in a unique multi-dose bottle that leverages a unidirectional valve and air filter technology to eliminates the need for a preservatives. In addition, this packaging format significantly reduces the amount of plastic used compared to single-use alternatives.
“Medicom is excited by this news and looks forward to launching Zimed® PF in the Canadian market with Aequus,” says Simon Martin, CEO of Medicom. “Globally we have seen the strong uptake for Zimed® PF and pleased it will soon be available to Canadian patients.”
Doug Janzen, CEO of Aequus Pharma said, “We want to thank Medicom for their support through the approval process with Health Canada. This is our third product we’ve brought to Canada in this partnership. We look forward to launching Zimed® PF in 2023 and providing Canadians with more treatment options.”
ABOUT AEQUUS PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
Aequus Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing high quality, differentiated products. Aequus has grown its sales and marketing efforts to include several commercial products in ophthalmology and optometry. Aequus plans to build on its Canadian commercial platform through the launch of additional products that are either created internally or brought in through an acquisition or license, remaining focused on highly specialized therapeutic areas.