Interesting Gains in Treatment for Macular Degeneration

JANUARY 13, 2011
By Elizabeth Terry, Executive Director, PXE International
and Christine Vocke, Director of Education and Information, PXE International

In the complex world of drug development, there is the small glimmer of hope that a drug developed for something else will help those with pseudoxanthoma elastsicum (PXE). We have already experienced this with macular degeneration drugs helping those of us suffering from loss of vision. Unfortunately, while the drug companies are in the business making lives better, it is also a business. We have experienced this reality with the debate over the drugs used in the retina, Avastin® and Lucentis®.

Three very interesting steps forward have presented themselves recently:

• The British regulatory organization (NICE) that determines if a drug may be used for a specific purpose is considering authorizing Avastin as an ophthalmological drug
• Regeneron Pharmaceuticals has tested a drug that, when injected every 8 weeks, is as effective as Lucentis injected every 4 weeks
• The FDA has given Advanced Cell Technology clearance for a clinical trial for a similar condition using stem cells to replace retinal cells damaged by dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD)

Find the articles here:
NICE may bless off-label Avastin use in eyes, 01/04/2011, FiercePharma
2 Treatments for Retinas Make Gains, 11/22/2010, New York Times