Alcon Announces Launch of Systane Complete Preservative-Free Lubricant Eye Drops in Europe

Alcon announced the European launch of Systane Complete Preservative-Free Lubricant Eye Drops, the newest addition to its portfolio of dry eye products.

Systane is the leading global artificial tear brand.² With the launch of Systane Complete Preservative-Free, Alcon now offers a full portfolio of preservative-free artificial tears in multi-dose bottles. This expands Alcon’s footprint in the large and fast-growing artificial tears category, which is approximately $1 billion in annual sales. Preservative-free is the fastest-growing segment, representing over 40% of the artificial tears category.²

“Almost half of all dry eye patients are self-diagnosed and often do not know which eye drop to choose,” said Andy Pawson, President & General Manager, Global Vision Care Franchise at Alcon. “Our latest innovation, Systane Complete Preservative-Free, provides relief for all major types of dry eye for up to 8 hours.Frequent users of artificial tears, or those with sensitive eyes, should be able to effectively and conveniently manage their symptoms to get back to enjoying their daily lives.”

The Systane Complete Preservative-Free formula works to provide all-in-one dry eye relief with one drop¹ by hydrating and protecting all layers of the tear film.^3,4,5 Alcon’s proprietary formula uses intelligent moisture and lipid delivery to enhance dispersion across the surface of the eye to stabilize the tear film.^4,5 Its advanced, nano-droplet technology allows for fast-acting hydration, tear evaporation protection, and long-lasting relief for a patient’s eyes.^4,5

To ensure the safe delivery of the preservative-free artificial tear, the bottle’s closing tip system was designed using patented PureFlow technology. The bottle has a one-way valve to ensure that no contaminated liquid is re-introduced into the container after a drop has been dispensed, eliminating the need for preservatives in the eye drops, according to Alcon.

Systane Complete Preservative-Free joins fast-acting Systane Ultra Preservative-Free and long-lasting Systane Hydration Preservative-Free for a full portfolio of multi-dose, preservative-free dry eye relief products for mild to chronic dry eye patients.

The launch starts in markets throughout Europe and will extend to the U.S., Australia and additional markets throughout 2022.

References

1. Silverstein S. Yeu E, Tauber J. et al. Symptom Relief Following a Single Dose of Propylene Glycol-Hydroxypropyl Guar Nanoemulsion in Patients with Dry Eye Disease: A Phase IV. Multicenter Trial.Clin Ophthalmol.2020;14:3167-3177.m.
2. Based on internal calculations by Alcon using third-party data; Alcon data on file, 2021.
3. Consumer Eye Drop Research, Global Path-To-Purchase; Alcon data on file, 2017.
4. Ketelson H, Rangarjan R. Pre-clinical evalusation of a nael phospholipid nanoemulsion based lubricant eye drops.Poster presented at ARVO 2017, Baltimore, MD.
5. Rangarajan R, Ketelson H. Preclinical evaluation of a new hydroxypropyl-guar phospholipid nanoemulsion-based artificial tear formulation in models of corneal epithelium. J Ocul Pharmacol Ther. 2019;35(1):32-37.
6. Rangarajan R, Kraybill B, Ogundele A, Ketelson H. Effects of a Hyaluronic Acid/Hydroxypropyl Guar Artificial Tear Solution on Protection, Recovery, and Lubricity in Models of Corneal Epithelium. J Ocul Pharmacol Ther. 2015;31(8):491-497.