Eylea Treatment for Macular Degeneration

Overview Eylea for the Treatment of Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Source: Macular Degeneration Support Canada
www.amdsupport.ca/2011/08/23/eylea-treatment-for-macular-degeneration/

Eylea Treatment for Macular Degeneration

August 23, 2011 By admin

A new drug has been developed as a treatment for macular degeneration. The drug named Eylea will compete directly with Lucentis, the current leading treatment for the eye disease.

It is expected Eylea will be injected every eight weeks into the eyes of those patients suffering from wet macular degeneration, a degenerative eye disease characterised by the formation of abnormal blood vessels behind the retina. This would be half as often as the treatment Lucentis

Macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness and is currently treated primarily with Lucentis and the off-label drug Avastin.

The wet macular degeneration drug Eylea has been recommended for approval for use by the FDA by an outside panel but the final decision has been delayed.

The drug itself takes a few months to be produced and is very similar in operation as the current macular degeneration treatment Lucentis. Eylea operates as a VEGF Trap-eye, and is used to blogck vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) used in the creation of blood vessels. This is the condition that progresses and worsens, causing the vessels to leak under the retina creating scar tissue and damaging retinal cells.

Patients will receive injections of Eylea less often, minimizing the risks associated with the treatment.

A final decision on Eylea's approval is expected towards the end of October or early November.

Eylea (VEGF Trap-Eye) for the Treatment of Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration

News Age-Related Macular Degeneration