AbbVie Inc. announced the availability of the XEN® 63 Gel Implant, a surgical implant designed to lower high eye pressure in open angle glaucoma sufferers, where previous medical treatment options have failed. The XEN 63 Gel Implant is an additional option for surgeons, clinically proven to reduce intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with primary open angle glaucoma. XEN 63 is a gel implant consisting of a small 6mm long tube, delivered via a micro-incisional glaucoma surgery.

It creates a new fluid outflow channel using a similar principle to conventional trabeculectomy, but allows fluid to bypass the impaired trabecular meshwork, the drainage system that becomes impaired in glaucoma. The glaucoma treatment spectrum extends from pharmacotherapy involving topical medications (eye drops) as the first-line therapy to traditional, invasive filtration surgeries, such as trabeculectomy and aqueous shunt implantation. Common challenges associated with pharmacotherapy include ineffective use (e.g., incorrect dose timing or administration), local or systemic side effects (e.g., irritation) or toxicity, and considerable lifetime costs.

Filtration surgical options are typically used in advanced glaucoma cases or when targeting a very low intraocular pressure as a treatment outcome. These invasive surgeries may be considered for medically refractory cases, or when there are such issues as intolerable side effects or from ineffective use of medications.