STAAR, Ellex deal

Monrovia, CA-STAAR Surgical Co. and Ellex Australia have entered into an agreement that makes Ellex the exclusive distributor of STAAR IOLs in Australia.

Ellex will market a line of refractive lenses (Visian ICL), IOLs for cataract patients, and related products. As part of the distribution agreement, Ellex also will purchase the current inventory of product in Australia for about $400,000.

“We are very pleased to be partnering with Ellex and to have our products join the Ellex portfolio. We expect its expertise and reputation to improve our market reach in Australia and New Zealand,” said Don Todd, STAAR’s president of the Asia-Pacific region.

STAAR previously has distributed its products in the region through ConceptVision Australia, a wholly owned subsidiary, which is being closed.

“Ellex is prepared to build on the foundation established by our general manager at ConceptVision, Phil Stoney, who passed away late last year,” Todd added. “Phil was instrumental to building the STAAR business in the region to its current level, and he was also a loved and respected figure in the Australian ophthalmic community who left us too soon.”

During 2010, STAAR generated $1.7 million in sales from the region.