Posted by Use of cyclodextrins in contact lens cleaning solutions is dating back to almost thirty years. A patent application was filed by Bausch and Lomb Inc. in 1992 claiming the use of parent and hydroxyalkyl cyclodextrins in contact lens cleansing solutions. The application resulted in a granted patent [1] in 1994. At room temperature a model cleaning liquid containing alpha cyclodextrin worked the most efficiently, however at elevated temperature (at 60 °C) methyl and hydroxypropyl beta cyclodextrins were performing the best using a taylored Bausch & Lomb DUIV Thermal Disinfecting Unit. The efficacy was measured by the success rate of protein removal. The best achieved cleaning efficacy, however, remained under 28% even at 60 °C.
Recently, Aldeyra Therapeutics, INC. filed a patent application after their unsuccessful clinical trial related to the therapeutical use of Reproxalap/SBECD formulation against Noninfectious Anterior Uveitis [2]. The surprising cause of the failure was that the placebo SBECD vehicle itself also caused disease resolution as reported in Cyclodextrin News earlier [3].
In this recently published application a kit is sought to be patent protected having the following characteristics:
- The kit contains a contact lens solution comprising a cyclodextrin
- The kit also contains an ophthalmic solution comprising a cyclodextrin as the only active agent and optionally one or more ophthalmically acceptable excipients.
The inventors emphasize that the utility of cyclodextrins in this application is that a film or layer of cyclodextrin may form on a contact lens to act as a mucomimetic. The concentration of cyclodextrin in the contact lens solution may be sufficient to bind and reduce the concentration or reduce the bioactivity of an eye allergen, an inflammatory mediator or toxic aldehyde. Cyclodextrins may therefore inactivate mediators of the inflammatory response, such as prostaglandins, reactive aldehydes, and lipid peroxidation products.
The international search report of the patent application is available and actually the use of SBECD in this specific application was acknowledged as novel, but inventiveness still needs to be demonstrated in the later stages of patent prosecution.
[1] Method and composition for cleaning contact lenses with cyclodextrins. US patent 5364637
[2] Contact lens solutions and kits. PCT patent application WO2020072621
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