Carl Zeiss Meditec : Completes Acquisition of Dutch Ophthalmic Research Center (D.O.R.C.); Companies Unite to Shape Ophthalmology Market

Jena, Germany | April 4, 2024 | Carl Zeiss Meditec AG

Carl Zeiss Meditec AG announced today that, after securing all required regulatory approvals, it has completed the acquisition of 100% of D.O.R.C. (Dutch Ophthalmic Research Center) from the investment firm Eurazeo SE, Paris, France. The acquisition enhances and complements ZEISS Medical Technology's broad ophthalmic portfolio and range of digitally connected workflow solutions for addressing a wide variety of eye conditions, spanning retina and cornea disorders, cataract, glaucoma, and refractive errors.

"Together we are better. Today holds significant importance for us as we bring our teams together and turn our collective attention toward delivering breakthrough innovations and solutions for our customers. We are very excited to welcome D.O.R.C.'s team members to our ZEISS family and to begin integrating our products and practices as we work toward a brighter future together," says Dr. Markus Weber, President and CEO of Carl Zeiss Meditec AG.

"Together we can offer an unmatched portfolio of advanced technologies and digital workflows. With D.O.R.C., we have an incredible opportunity to serve ophthalmologists around the world with more complete workflows and solutions than ever before," says Euan S. Thomson, Ph.D., President of Ophthalmology and Head of the Digital Business Unit for ZEISS Medical Technology. "We've set our sights high to become the top player in the world for ophthalmology by leveraging our workflow solutions, enhancing our portfolio offerings and market position in the anterior surgery segment, and by significantly expanding our presence in the posterior surgery segment."

"Together we are stronger. With four decades behind our amazing business and surgeon-inspired innovation, we look forward to writing the next chapter of our success story together with ZEISS Medical Technology," says Pierre Billardon, CEO of D.O.R.C. "By joining forces, we can extend our reach, scale our efforts, and accelerate ophthalmic surgery advancements for more surgeons faster than before. I am filled with a great sense of pride and gratitude for every D.O.R.C. team member. Together, we have achieved so much to arrive at this pivotal moment in our journey. And together with ZEISS, we have so much more to accomplish in our bright future ahead to help patients see again."

Combination of portfolios will create unmatched end-to-end solution within the digitally-connected ZEISS Retina Surgery Workflow

As a leading player in the retina surgical devices and consumables market, D.O.R.C.'s contributions will be critical to ZEISS Medical Technology's long-term strategy and success going forward. With D.O.R.C., ZEISS is in a unique position to offer an unmatched portfolio of market-leading technologies to ophthalmologists, including an expanded, digitally-connected Retina Surgery Workflow from ZEISS. The companies' portfolios are highly complementary and the powerful combination of the EVA NEXUS® platform from D.O.R.C. with ZEISS's extensive range of visualization, diagnostic and therapeutic devices, and surgical instruments and consumables, all connected to a digital ecosystem, will enable the creation of efficient clinical workflows that will reshape the ophthalmology market for the benefit of surgeons and their patients alike.

D.O.R.C. brings to the acquisition one of the market's most advanced dual-function systems - the EVA NEXUS platform. EVA NEXUS is the core of a strong portfolio, comprising a full range of accessories, instruments and liquids, offering one of the best-in-class solutions across vitreo-retinal (VR) and combined cataract procedures. The expansion that D.O.R.C.'s overall portfolio brings to ZEISS ensures that surgeons will have more options to choose the solutions that best meet their specific surgical requirements and preferences.

With the completion of this acquisition, health care professionals can expect to benefit from an extensive and unique combination of digitally connected devices and workflow solutions, from clinical pre-operative needs to the surgical operating room. This supports efficient clinical workflows and helps surgeons to improve outcomes for their patients. The two companies' immediate priorities span maintaining business continuity and customer satisfaction, cultivating areas of deep expertise, and enhancing the value of their solutions and services for current and future customers.

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