Anti VEGF Therapies
Treatmet Options
Recent advances have led to the development of new drugs to tackle wet AMD. At present the drug Macugen TM is now licensed for use in Europe. The drug is now available at the Yorkshire Eye Hospital. The treatment involves an injection of a small volume of drug into the eye once every six weeks. Study data has provided encouraging results indicating Macugen's effectiveness in certain types of wet AMD that don't often respond well to Photodynamic therapy.
Another VEGF inhibitor, Lucentis TM is due to receive its European license in the next few months. This drug has shown very encouraging results in recent research trials suggesting great efficacy in a wide range of wet AMD types. At present Lucentis, which is also given as an intra-ocular injection once per four weeks, has not been given clearance for use in the NHS. The national institute of clinical excellence will start an appraisal process in August 2006 with an expected report date by August 2007. Until that time both Macugen and Lucentis are unlikely to be directly funded by primary care trusts. Lucentis is also now available at the Yorkshire Eye Hospital at the discretion of Novartis, the pharmaceutical company responsible for developing and marketing this very exciting new advance in wet AMD treatment.
There has also been great excitement in recent months after the discovery of the safety and efficacy of Avastin TM, when given as an intraocular injection for wet AMD. This is a drug currently licensed for use in bowel cancer, however researchers have discovered that a very small dose given into the eye can have a powerful therapeutic impact on wet AMD. The drug itself is a molecule closely related to Lucentis. This drug may have an especially important role to play in patients with wet AMD, not responding well to photodynamic therapy and / or other licensed therapies. Avastin is now available at the Yorkshire Eye Hospital.
Further Information
 |
| B08000603 |
