ATLANTA, Sept. 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alimera Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALIM) (Alimera), a leader in the
commercialization and development of prescription ophthalmic pharmaceuticals, today announced that ILUVIEN, its sustained release
intravitreal implant for the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME), is now available in Ireland through VHI Healthcare Group,
the leading Irish healthcare provider.
“Diabetes remains the most serious cause of severe vision loss in people of working age in Ireland, and diabetic macular edema
is the cause in around 10% of those cases,” said Marie Hickey Dwyers, former president of the Irish College of Ophthalmologists.
“The approval of ILUVIEN in Ireland is exciting news for all those patients who are no longer responding to their first-line DME
treatment. The ILUVIEN implant could mean the difference between a patient having increasingly deteriorating sight, and being able
to drive again. I look forward to having ILUVIEN as an option for my patients.”
“In post-marketing studies in our European markets and the U.S., ILUVIEN has proven to be an effective, long-lasting treatment
for DME that decreases treatment burden. We are excited that DME patients in Ireland will have access to this long-lasting
treatment that provides continuous daily micro-dosing for up to three years,” said Dan Myers, Alimera’s CEO. “We are also proud to
be working with the largest Irish healthcare provider to open the gateway for ILUVIEN in Ireland.”
About ILUVIEN
www.ILUVIEN.com
ILUVIEN (fluocinolone acetonide intravitreal implant) 0.19 mg is a sustained release intravitreal implant indicated in the E.U.
to treat vision impairment associated with chronic DME considered insufficiently responsive to available therapies. Each ILUVIEN
implant with its continuous microdosing is designed to release submicrogram levels of fluocinolone acetonide, a corticosteroid, for
36 months, enabling the physician to treat the disease consistently every day.
About Diabetic Macular Edema (DME)
DME, the primary cause of vision loss associated with diabetic retinopathy, is a disease affecting the macula, the part of the
retina responsible for central vision. When the blood vessel leakage associated with diabetic retinopathy results in swelling of
the macula, the condition is called DME. The onset of DME is painless and may go unreported by the patient until it manifests with
the blurring of central vision or acute vision loss. The severity of this blurring may range from mild to profound loss of vision.
The Wisconsin Epidemiologic Study of Diabetic Retinopathy found that over a 10-year period approximately 19% of people with
diabetes included in the study were diagnosed with DME. All people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes are at risk of developing
DME.
About VHI Healthcare Group
Since 1957, VHI has been helping people in Ireland to access the best value, quality private healthcare through its extensive
range of diverse healthcare products and services. With one million customers, they continue to be the market leader for health
insurance in Ireland. The brand promise - “When you need us, we're there” - is true for practically every medical eventuality,
whether you need coverage for hospital treatment, daycare treatment, day-to-day expenses, multi-trip travel insurance, expatriate
insurance, dental, walk‑in urgent care, medical screening, occupational health, employee assistance programs or hospital in the
home services. Customers and their dependents are covered individually, or through membership of one of more than 8,000 corporate
and affinity group schemes countrywide.
For more information, visit https://www.vhi.ie/home.
About Alimera Sciences, Inc.
www.alimerasciences.com
Alimera, founded in June 2003, is a pharmaceutical company that specializes in the commercialization and development of
prescription ophthalmic pharmaceuticals. Alimera is presently focused on diseases affecting the back of the eye, or retina, because
these diseases are not well treated with current therapies and will affect millions of people in our aging populations. Alimera’s
commitment to retina specialists and their patients is manifest in Alimera’s product and development portfolio designed to treat
early- and late-stage diseases. For more information, please visit www.alimerasciences.com.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements,” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995, regarding, among other things, the availability of ILUVIEN to patients in Ireland. Such forward-looking statements are based
on current expectations and involve inherent risks and uncertainties, including factors that could delay, divert or change any of
them, and could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in its forward-looking statements. Meaningful
factors which could cause actual results to differ include, but are not limited to, the willingness of physicians in Ireland to
accept ILUVIEN for use with their DME patients, as well as the other factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” and “Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” sections of Alimera’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
year ended December 31, 2016 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2017, which are on file
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Additional factors may be set forth in those sections of Alimera's Quarterly Report
on Form 10-Q for the quarter ending September 30, 2017, to be filed in the fourth quarter of 2017 with the SEC. In addition to the
risks described above and in Alimera’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and
other filings with the SEC, other unknown or unpredictable factors also could affect Alimera’s results. There can be no
assurance that the actual results or developments anticipated by Alimera will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that
they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, Alimera. Therefore, no assurance can be given that the outcomes stated
in such forward-looking statements and estimates will be achieved.
All forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by the cautionary statements contained or
referred to herein. Alimera cautions investors not to rely too heavily on the forward-looking statements Alimera makes or that are
made on its behalf. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release (unless another date is
indicated). Alimera undertakes no obligation, and specifically declines any obligation, to publicly update or revise any such
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
![Primary Logo](https://resource.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/2c43c8f6-cf4d-40bd-a9b2-9a240f7961b8?size=1)
![](http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/ti?ndecode=NzA2MzkjNjk0NjU4Mg==)