Phase III trials show promise for AMD, DR

The neovascular, or "wet," form of AMD is much less prevalent but is responsible for ~90% of the severe vision loss associated with AMD.3 The most promising results to date have come from drugs that inhibit the activity of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a critical pro-angiogeni...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inOphthalmology Times Vol. 33; no. 22; p. 14
Main Authors Tzekov, Radouil T, Byrnes, Michael J, Abelson, Mark B
Format Trade Publication Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Monmouth Junction MultiMedia Healthcare Inc 15.11.2008
Subjects
Cataracts
Clinical trials
Diabetes
Diabetic retinopathy
Drug dosages
Eye surgery
Kinases
Lasers
Macular degeneration
Monoclonal antibodies
Ophthalmology
Pharmaceutical industry
Photodynamic therapy
Steroids
Transplants & implants
Vascular endothelial growth factor
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ISSN0193-032X
2150-7333

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Summary:The neovascular, or "wet," form of AMD is much less prevalent but is responsible for ~90% of the severe vision loss associated with AMD.3 The most promising results to date have come from drugs that inhibit the activity of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a critical pro-angiogenic signaling molecule.4 As of this writing, two anti-VEGF drugs have been approved by the FDA for this indication: pegaptanib (Macugen, OSI EyeTech) was approved in December 2004, and ranibizumab (Lucentis, Genentech) was approved in June 2006. Ranibizumab, a fragment of an anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody, has been most effective in clinical trials.5 It is the first treatment for wet AMD that has been shown to improve vision in clinical trials (five to 10 letters on the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study [ETDRS] chart); existing therapies such as pegaptanib and photodynamic therapy (PDT) with verteporfin (Visudyne, Novartis) merely slow the rate of vision loss.
ISSN:0193-032X
2150-7333