Rayner Surgical Group Limited Acquires Cataract Viscoelastic Portfolio

For immediate release

Rayner Surgical Group Limited Acquires Cataract Viscoelastic Portfolio

July 2, 2015 -- Brighton, United Kingdom. Rayner Surgical Group Limited (‘Rayner’), the pioneering manufacturer of intraocular lenses for cataract surgery, announced today that it has acquired the ophthalmic cataract surgery business of Aptissen SA (Geneva, Switzerland).

The acquisition closes today, July 2, 2015.

Acquisition details

Rayner has acquired the following viscoelastic device products from Aptissen, as well as assets in their R&D portfolio: 

• Ophteis+ 1.4% (Highly Cohesive Sodium Hyaluronate) 
• Ophteis 1.0% (Cohesive Sodium Hyaluronate) 
• OphteisMax 2.5% (Visco-Adaptive Sodium Hyaluronate) 
• OphteisBio 1.6% (Coheso-Dispersive Sodium Hyaluronate) 
• OphteisBio 1.8% (Coheso-Dispersive+ Sodium Hyaluronate) 
• OphteisBio 3.0% (Dispersive Sodium Hyaluronate) 
• Methylvisc 2.0% (HPMC) 

Commenting on the acquisition, Rayner CEO, Tim Clover, explained, “We want to offer our partner surgeons a full range of high quality products for their cataract surgery needs. The acquisition of the Ophteis OVD range allows us to expand that offering today and to invest in further R&D innovation in OVDs for tomorrow. We took great care to assess that the products represent best in class, thanks to Aptissen’s rich history of expertise with hyaluronic acid and are excited to bring these under the Rayner family of surgical products and to offer them through our global platform.”

Olivier Benoit, CEO of Aptissen said, “We are very proud of the success of our ophthalmic OVD range which we carefully designed and grew since 2007, and feel confident that Rayner will benefit and build on this achievement and take the Ophteis brand to the next level.”

“The Ophteis range offers a full spectrum of OVDs from dispersive to cohesive, which means I can select the OVD best suited to my specific cataract procedure. This flexibility is important to me,” commented Michael Amon, MD, Professor and Head of the Department of Ophthalmology at the Hospital of St. John, Vienna, Austria. “Having recently been invited to trial some of the Ophteis OVD range as part of a field evaluation, I was particularly impressed by the fact that I could store all Ophteis OVDs at room temperature and know that I will still have a reliable and consistent substance. Eliminating the need for refrigeration means one less thing for my OR staff to worry about. Rayner’s reputation gives me confidence that these products will be among the best available for surgeons.”

-ENDS-

About Rayner Surgical Group Limited 
Since the implantation of the first intraocular lens by Sir Harold Ridley 1949, Rayner has continuously pioneered intraocular lens (IOL) design with a goal to improve vision and restore sight worldwide. Today, Rayner’s mission remains to deliver innovative and clinically superior ophthalmic products that respond to the expectations of our global customers to improve the sight and quality of life of their patients.

Headquartered in Brighton, United Kingdom, Rayner markets its IOL portfolio and related products worldwide through a network of distributors in over 80 countries with direct sales teams in the United Kingdom, USA, Germany and Austria.

About Aptissen SA 
Aptissen SA is an innovative company specialised in the research & development, manufacturing and commercialization of biopolymer-based medical devices. As a major player in the use of Hyaluronic Acid for injectable medical devices -- active in the following three sales areas: osteo-arthritis, glaucoma and cataract -- our mission is to develop and make available worldwide the best quality injectable products to meet patient expectations. Located in Geneva, Aptissen sells its products thanks to more than 70 distributors over the five continents, and has direct operations in Italy.

Following conclusion of this transaction Aptissen will concentrate on glaucoma surgery and osteo-arthritis treatments and R&D for new indications in both of these fields.

For questions related to Aptissen please contact Olivier Benoit: o.benoit@aptissen.com , Phone: + 41 22 552 21 03.

For questions regarding the acquisition or about Rayner specifically, please contact: Kommunica@medeuronet.com , Phone: +44 207 869 8033