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Wet age-related macular degeneration
study shows significant vision improvements
Research conducted by retina
surgeons at The Methodist
Hospital shows unprecedented
improvements in vision in more than
one-third of patients treated with
Lucentis™ for wet age-related macular
degeneration (AMD), according to
findings published today in the New
England Journal of Medicine. AMD is a
major cause of central visual loss and is
one of the leading causes of blindness
in people over 60.
Dr. David M. Brown, retinal surgeon
with Vitreoretinal Consultants at The
Methodist Hospital, is lead author on
the ANCHOR study and a secondary
author on the MARINA study. Brown
enrolled more patients than any other site worldwide in the studies, which
contributed to the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration’s June approval of
Lucentis for the treatment of patients
with wet AMD.
“Lucentis therapy is the most
significant advance in the treatment
of macular degeneration in the history
of the disease,” said Brown. “The
ANCHOR study compared the previous
treatment for macular degeneration
(photodynamic therapy) with Lucentis
in the most aggressive form of the
disease. While 60 percent of the eyes
treated with photodynamic therapy
were legally blind at the end of the first
year of study, patients who received
Lucentis treatment were able to avoid
legal blindness
in seven out of
eight cases.
Seven percent
of the Lucentistreated
patients
improved to
20/20 vision
at the oneyear
endpoint.
It truly made
a remarkable
difference in
many of these
patient’s lives,
enabling them
to maintain
driving and
keep their
independence.”
Data from
the two
randomized,
controlled,
pivotal Phase III
clinical trials of Lucentis (ranibizumab
injection) shows that at one year,
95 percent of patients treated with
Lucentis did not lose vision. Of these
patients, 55 percent maintained their
vision (defined as a loss of less than
15 letters in visual acuity), and up to 40
percent experienced an improvement
of three lines (15 letters) or more on the
study eye chart. In the MARINA study,
patients were randomized to receive
Lucentis injections once a month for
two years. Patients in the ANCHOR
study were randomized to either receive
Lucentis injections once a month or
photodynamic therapy every three
months for two years.
Lucentis is designed to block new
blood vessel growth and leakiness,
which lead to wet AMD, by binding to
and inhibiting VEGF-A, a protein that
is believed to play a critical role in the
formation of new blood vessels. Wet
AMD affects the macula, the portion of
the eye responsible for the central vision
required for everyday activities such as
reading, driving, and recognizing faces.
Symptoms include blurred, gray, or
blank spots in the center of the visual
field and distortion that makes edges or
lines appear wavy.
AMD occurs in two forms: dry and
wet. While all cases begin as the dry
form, wet AMD accounts for about 85
percent of all AMD-related blindness
and can result in sudden and severe
vision loss. The dry form is associated
with atrophic cell death of the central
retina or macula. The wet form is
caused by growth of abnormal blood
vessels that leak fluid and blood under
the macula causing scar tissue that
destroys the central retina.
For more information regarding this article or to talk with an patient representative please use the following contact information:
Methodist International Services
6560 Fannin ST 220
Houston, Texas 77030
Telephone: (713) 441-2340
Fax: (713) 793-7097
Email: methodistinternational@tmh.tmc.edu
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