AMO plans to relaunch contact lens solution

PHOENIX Doctors drive the lens care market at retail, Jim Mazzo, Advanced Medical Optics chief executive officer, told analysts at the Credit Suisse Healthcare Conference held here earlier this month, justifying AMO’s decision to relaunch its Complete Multi-Purpose Solution brand as a rub-and-rinse solution in the wake of its product recall of Complete MoisturePlus Multi-Purpose in May.

“Some people asked, ‘rub and rinse,’ why did you decide to come up with that versus your competition?” Mazzo said. “Well, quite candidly, we did extensive market research after the recall and went to the practitioners,” he said, and rub and rinse is what the practitioners wanted to help improve compliance. “Compliance is the number one issue—that people are not following the instructions. So we have put back Rub and Rinse on this new product line. … This business is driven by the doctor. Seventy-five percent of the time in the United States, the patient buys what the doctor tells them [to buy], regardless of price or distribution.”

Mazzo also reiterated that AMO is preparing to enter the dry eye market with a new product launch in the first quarter of next year, describing the dry eye market as a “very brand loyal and a very high-margin business.”