Menicon Announces the Approval of Menicon Z Night Orthokeratology Contact Lenses in China
Menicon Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: 3-21-19 Aoi, Naka-ku, Nagoya; President and CEO: Hidenari Tanaka) is pleased to announce that it has obtained approval for Menicon Z Night as a medical device (orthokeratology contact lens) from the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of China.
Orthokeratology contact lenses are hard contact lenses with a unique inner shape, that are designed to flatten the central portion of the cornea so as to correct vision. Unlike conventional contact lenses, they are worn only while sleeping and provide sufficient vision for daytime activities without glasses or contact lenses.
Recently, the myopic population has been increasing worldwide and thus become a major social issue. Myopia affects approximately 30% of the global population at present and is estimated to affect approximately half of the global population by 2050. The prevalence of myopia in the Japanese pediatric population has been increasing in the past few decades; similarly in China, myopia has been affecting more than half of the school children and adolescents.1)
Moreover, it has been reported that the progression of myopia can be reduced by wearing orthokeratology contact lenses.2) These contact lenses are therefore mostly prescribed for school children in China, and the market is expected to grow nearly threefold between 2020 and 2030.3)
Menicon has been selling α Ortho-K (product of Alpha Corporation, our group company) in the Chinese market for long years, gaining consumer trust. By adding Menicon Z Night to its product line-up as a second orthokeratology product, Menicon will pursue opportunities to acquire new customers.
Menicon Z Night is produced by Menicon B.V., a Dutch subsidiary of the Menicon Group. It is widely recognized in Europe, Southeast Asia, and Australia, where it has already been launched, for the use of Menicon Z, a contact lens material with high oxygen permeability making it possible to wear the orthokeratology contact lens overnight and the utilization of a software that supports selection of appropriate contact lens specifications based on data regarding the corneal shape, even by inexperienced prescribers.
In China, Menicon Z Night is scheduled for release in 2023 via the local subsidiary ITABASHI MEDICAL (DALIAN) CO., LTD. With both Menicon Z Night and α Ortho-K, Menicon aims to increase the sales of orthokeratology contact lenses in China.
- Holden BA et al. Global prevalence of myopia and high myopia and temporal trends from 2000 through 2050. Ophthalmology, 2016 123(5): 1036-1042
- P Cho et al., Retardation of myopia in orthokeratology (ROMIO) study: a 2-year randomized clinical trial. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci., 2012 53:7077–7085.
- Frost & Sullivan custom research (2020)