The eye health business arm of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) received the award in the “Wellness” category for its Acuvue Theravision with ketotifen (etafilcon A drug-eluting contact lens with ketotifen). The drug-eluting contact, which provides a new wearing experience for contact lens wearers who have allergic eye itch for up to 12 hours without the need for allergy drops while also providing vision correction, received FDA approval in March.
Health Canada approved the drug-eluting contact lens in April 2021, just one month after the product received regulatory approval in Japan. Director of Clinical Science Dr. Brian Pall told Drug Delivery Business News in March that the offering represents the world’s first drug-eluting contact lens.
Fast Company also chose Acuvue Theravision with ketotifen for an honorable mention in its “Health” and “Enduring Impact:15+ Years in Business” categories, according to a news release. Johnson & Johnson was recognized as a winner out of a pool of nearly 3,000 entries across health, wellness, technology, transportation, education and more.
“At Johnson & Johnson Vision, we are guided by an incredible sense of purpose and a bold ambition to redefine healthy sight for life,” Johnson & Johnson Vision Company Group Chair Peter Menziuso said in the release. “Congratulations to all our teams, patients, and eye care professionals who have been instrumental in introducing this entirely new category of contact lens. We are constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible to improve eye health, and the recognition of Acuvue Theravision with ketotifen as a World Changing Idea is both an honor and a summons for us to continue anticipating and creating solutions to help more people see better, connect better, live better.”
