Pfizer Shifts Glaucoma Drug to New Supplier Fera Pharmaceuticals

Pfizer has announced that it will transfer the rights for Phospholine Iodide (echothiophate iodide), a treatment for a rare type of glaucoma, to New York-based biotech Fera Pharmaceuticals to ensure a continued supply of the decades-old drug that the company stopped distributing in May.

Pfizer said it chose Fera because of its “expertise and focus in ophthalmic medicines,” and its “understanding of the regulatory process” for such drugs.

Pfizer was the only supplier of the treatment for aphakic glaucoma, which can cause a sharp increase in intraocular pressure for patients who have had their natural lens removed in cataract surgery. If the pressure isn’t lowered by the drug, the individuals may lose their eyesight.