Last month, the FDA approved Eylea (VEGF-Trap, aflibercept) for the treatment of wet macular degeneration. The new drug does not need to be injected as often as Lucentis, yet it seems that the visual improvement is the same; that is, fewer injections yield similar improvement in vision...for the first year of therapy. Keep in mind that we are always interested in a drug's ability to improve … [Read more...]
October is the AAO Meeting
October 18, 2011 By 7 Comments
We are leaving for Orlando, FL in a few days to attend the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting. It is our industry's largest meeting of the year...worldwide. The meeting has become so large that only a certain cities can host the event; Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, San Francisco, Las Vegas, New Orleans and Orlando. Literally tens of thousands of people will attend; doctors, … [Read more...]
Implantable Telescope is Available!
September 13, 2011 By 6 Comments
CentraSight, the implantable telescope for macular degeneration, is now available! CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) has approved the telescope for those patients with macular degeneration meeting the eligibility criteria for the surgical procedure. Medicare/Medicaid will cover the cost of the implant and the surgery in certain patients as October 1, 2011! For now, the … [Read more...]
Avastin Does Not Cause Infection
September 8, 2011 By 7 Comments
One of the most feared complications of eye injections is blindness. This infection is called endophthalmitis. Last week the FDA issued an alert the 12 cases of endophthalmitis were caused by the injections. The cause of the infections is NOT Avastin. There is nothing wrong with the drug itself. Avastin Must Be RePackaged Upon further investigation, a common denominator was a single … [Read more...]
FDA Delays Decision on VEGF Trap Eye
August 24, 2011 By 13 Comments
VEGF Trap-Eye was not approved by the FDA for the treatment of wet macular degeneration. The parent company, Regeneron, was hopeful to gain FDA approval last week, but the FDA delayed its decision until November of this year. VEGF Trap-Eye Treats Wet Macular Degeneration VEGF Trap-Eye, or aflibercept, is another anti-VEGF drug formulated to treat wet macular degeneration. Like its … [Read more...]
Stem Cells for Stargardt’s Macular Dystrophy and Macular Degeneration
August 2, 2011 By 20 Comments
Advanced Cell Technology recently announced the beginning of their landmark trial where stem cells are transplanted into patients with Stargardt's Macular Dystrophy (aka Stargardt's Disease) and dry macular degeneration. Clinical Trials for Stargardt's Begin The company announced that their phase I/II clinical trials started in mid-July with one patient each of either Stargardt's or … [Read more...]
Avastin and Lucentis Are Equally Safe, Too.
May 10, 2011 By 5 Comments
The results of the CATT trial demonstrated that Avastin and Lucentis are equally effective for the treatment of wet macular degeneration. A small issue, since the release of that data, appears to be whether Avastin has more side effects than Lucentis. Avastin is as safe (or as dangerous) as Lucentis. The CATT trial results were data from the first year of a 2 year study. The … [Read more...]
Avastin Just as Good as Lucentis
May 4, 2011 By 3 Comments
It's official. Avastin is just as good as Lucentis for the treatment of wet macular degeneration. The results of this National Eye Institute study were released just a week ago. The study, the "Comparison of Age-Related Macular Degeneration Treatment Trials (CATT)" compared the two drugs head-to-head in a year long study involving about 1200 patients. The study is … [Read more...]
Laser and anti-VEGF Best Treats Diabetic Macular Edema
April 27, 2011 By 4 Comments
Treating diabetic retinopathy with both laser and anti-VEGF injections may be the best way to treat patients with diabetic macular edema. Diabetic macular edema is the most common "side effect" of diabetic retinopathy and is the leading cause of vision loss in patients with diabetes. The results of a large, multicenter, randomized clinical trial compared several permutations of laser and the … [Read more...]
VEGF-Trap Gets Closer to FDA Approval
April 20, 2011 By 1 Comment
VEGF-Trap (aka aflibercept), another anti-VEGF drug, moves closer to FDA approval as it received "priority review" status. This status means that the FDA process will be accelerated and the drug can be reviewed in 6 months versus the usual 10 month period. Alfibercept is another injectable drug that may have an effect on choroidal neovascularization in wet macular degeneration. In the press … [Read more...]
