Alpharetta-based pharmaceutical firm Alimera Sciences Inc. is partnering with Quintiles Inc. to introduce a newly developed eye drug into Europe, starting with Germany.
Alimera’s Iluvien is a tiny insert placed into the back of the eye using a needle. It releases a steroid for up to 36 months, reducing inflammation in the eye caused by diabetic macular adema, an eye disease that often causes blindness in diabetes patients.
Through an agreement with the European branch of Quintiles, a North Carolina-based pharmaceutical services firm, Alimera expects to begin distributing the drug in Germany in early 2013.
The companies expect to sign a master agreement ironing out their relationships in France and the United Kingdom soon.The drug has also been approved for marketing in Austria and Portugal.
Alimera aims to submit a new drug application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration early next year.
