5/6/2015, Wednesday

Bausch + Lomb Reports Resistance Patterns for Key Ocular Pathogens at 2015 ARVO Annual Meeting

FOR RELEASE WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 2015

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Bausch + Lomb, a leading global eye health company, announced today the results from the sixth consecutive year of the ARMOR (Antibiotic Resistance Monitoring in Ocular MicrooRganisms) surveillance study in the United States as presented at the 2015 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado.1 Initiated in 2009, ARMOR is the only multi-center, national survey of antibiotic resistance patterns specific to eye care.

In the ARVO presentation, researchers reported year-over-year comparisons of susceptibility rates based on 2013 data on 496 bacterial isolates collected from 22 participating sites and preliminary 2014 data on 141 isolates collected from 7 participating sites. The survey included all of the organisms most frequently implicated in serious bacterial eye infections, including Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Haemophilus influenzae.

Similar to previous years, high levels of resistance (full resistance and intermediate resistance) were observed. Approximately one in two S. pneumoniae isolates were resistant to penicillin, and two in five were resistant to azithromycin. During this period, tobramycin resistance among CoNS increased, while resistance rates for azithromycin remained stable. All H. influenzae isolates were susceptible to all drugs tested, with few exceptions. Methicillin resistance among staphylococci remains high with one in four S. aureus and one in two CoNS (eg S. epidermidis) isolates resistant. Many methicillin resistant staphylococci were multi-drug resistant.

"As the ARMOR survey makes clear, antibiotic resistance by significant ocular pathogens is a moving target," said Penny A. Asbell, M.D., lead ARMOR study author, professor of Ophthalmology at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and director of the Cornea Service and Refractive Surgery Center at Mount Sinai Hospital. "This ongoing surveillance effort is the only epidemiological data available to help eye care providers maintain the effectiveness of ocular infection control by tracking actual susceptibility rates for commonly used antibiotics. The ability to identify resistance trends over time is particularly useful for guiding treatment decisions for ocular infections.”

About Bausch + Lomb
Bausch + Lomb, a Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. company, is a leading global eye health organization that is solely focused on protecting, enhancing, and restoring people’s eyesight. Our core businesses include ophthalmic pharmaceuticals, contact lenses and lens care products, and ophthalmic surgical devices and instruments. We globally develop, manufacture and market one of the most comprehensive product portfolios in our industry, which are available in more than 100 countries.

REFERENCES
1. Asbell, Penny A.; Sanfilippo, Christine M.; Sahm, Daniel F.; DeCory, Heleen H. “Antibiotic Resistance among Ocular Pathogens – Results from the ARMOR Surveillance Study 2013- Present.” [The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Annual Meeting in Denver, CO, on Sunday, May 3, 8:30 – 10:15 a.m. PT, Session 111, Poster 284 – C0169].
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Tad Heitmann
BioComm Network on behalf of Bausch + Lomb
(714) 273-2937 or theitmann@BioCommNetwork.com

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Bausch + Lomb Reports Resistance Patterns for Key Ocular Pathogens at 2015 ARVO Annual Meeting

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