KUALA LUMPUR, 22 FEBRUARY 2025 – Myopia (shortsightedness) is on the rise among Malaysian children, with a worrying trend of children as young as 5 being diagnosed with the condition.
“Myopine is the world’s first low-dose atropine eye drop formulation with preservatives, officially registered with an approved indication for controlling the progression of myopia in children from aged 6 years and older,” said Tham Kong Weng, Managing Director of IDB VisionCare. “This achievement will provide better access to millions of children here in Malaysia and in Southeast Asia.”
Tham also expressed gratitude to everyone who helped make the launch a reality. “Today we celebrate not just the launch of a product, but the culmination of seven years of hard work, dedication and collaboration.”
A scientific meeting followed the launch, featuring talks from leading local and international experts, including Professor Donald Tan (Duke-NUS Singapore), Professor Nurliza Khaliddin (University of Malaya Medical Centre), Professor Audrey Chia (Singapore National Eye Centre) and Associate Professor Safinaz Mohd Khialdin (Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia).
Eye-Opening Insights on Myopia Management
“With the launch and regulatory recognition of Myopine, we can reduce myopia progression by up to 60% in Malaysia,” said Dr Choong Yee Fong, Ophthalmologist from ISEC Malaysia and chairperson for the scientific meeting. “Public awareness on myopia is crucial, and with Myopine, we hope to help more children.”
Professor Donald Tan, a founding doctor of the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC), shared insights into Myopine’s development during his talk. “Myopia can be considered an Asian disease. The burden of myopia globally is getting worse, but it’s mostly in our part of the world. In Asia, we have the largest population of children becoming shortsighted today. Myopine is a culmination of 35 years of research dedicated to facing this growing issue.”
This was then followed by a talk on myopia and its disease burden in Malaysia by Professor Nurliza Khaliddin. She highlighted that myopia is already a significant concern in Malaysia, with urban centers reporting a 60% prevalence rate, surpassing global projections. The overall trend indicates that Malaysia is moving ahead of the projected global rate. By 2050, the urgency for early intervention and awareness in Malaysia will be greater than ever.
Professor Audrey Chia outlined the continuously evolving standard in myopia management and the importance of encouraging good eye habits in children. Myopia treatment continues to evolve from the use of 0.01% atropine drops to 0.025% and in combination with other modalities such as peripheral defocus lenses and contact lenses. The expanded range of low dose atropine and new lenses allows clinicians to tailor therapy to individual children based on their age, extent of myopia and other risk factors.
Associate Professor Safinaz Mohd Khialdin delivered an update on a new clinical trial ATOM-MY (Atropine in the Treatment of Myopia Study in Malaysia), which explores using the 0.025% atropine to treat myopia in children.. This clinical trial will likely start in April 2025 in HUKM and UMMC. This trial allows trial participants to get multiple eye check ups over 2 years as well as access to a new strength of low dose atropine. Children with progressing myopia may be suitable to be part of this trial. For more information please contact [email protected]
This momentous launch event is a testament to the collective efforts of scientists, clinicians and pharmaceutical companies to combat myopia in Malaysia and across the wider Asian continent.
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