some real facts

*DME Affects 1 Million People in the US alone
*Leading cause of vision loss in people under 65
*NO FDA approved drung treatments
*US Market estimated $1.5-4B
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Iluvien Status
-Phase III clinical trials in apprx. 1,000 patients
-Positive 24 month data
-Over 40% of people severely affected gain 3 or more lines
-NDA given PRIORITY Review Expect decision end of 2010

I would also point out that the $12k price tag that Beep is putting on Iluvien is overstated. Paul has said that he thinks the price will be between $5k to $10k (although Alimera decides the price) and given that this over a 3 year period, its pretty cheap (remember that Lucentis which is approved for Wet-AMD and not DME costs about $2k per treatment every 6 weeks).

Also, the high rate of cataracts is common for all patients with DME (at least 50%) whether they receive Iluvien or not. Yes, the rate is higher if they do receive Iluvien, but cataract surgery is the most basic and common form of eye surgery and once the cataract is replaced, not only is the vision improved but also a cataract cannot reform (because it is replaced with manmade intraocular lens).

Finally, six esteemed biotech analysts for major US investment banks can't be wrong. I think they know better than BEEP & me for that matter.