Dr. Lazarus has been involved with a number of pivotal studies that have advanced our understanding of the treatment of age-related macular degeneration. These have included clinical trials involving various types of photodynamic laser treatment and drug treatments for wet macular degeneration. Additionally, he is participanting member oftwo national registries where investigators across North America pool clinical data via the internetregarding treatment of wet macular degeneration. These registries have contributed immensely to our understanding of wet disease using combined treatment with Visudyne intraocularinjection of drugs such as Avastin. We will continue to participate in clinical trials as new treatments for this disease emerge.
The VEGF Trap is a unique fusion protein that binds all forms of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-A (VEGF-A) and Placental Growth Factor (PLGF). Both VEGF-A and PLGF are proteins that are involved in the abnormal growth of new blood vessels.
At present patients are being recruited for the Vascular Endothelial Cell Growth Factor (VEGF) VIEW 1 phase 3 study. The VIEW 1 study is comparing the VEGF Trap-Eye and ranibizumab (Lucentis®, a registered trademark of Genentech, Inc.), an antiangiogenic agent approved for use in wet AMD. In a phase 2 study evaluating VEGF Trap-Eye in the neovascular form of wet Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), the VEGF Trap-Eye met the primary endpoint of a statistically significant reduction in retinal thickness and demonstrated statistically significant improvement in visual acuity after 12 weeks as compared to baseline. There were no drug-related serious adverse events, and treatment with the VEGF Trap-Eye was generally well-tolerated.
Most treatments to date have been directed towards treatment of wet macular degeneration. Recruitment is ongoing for a study testing the safety and efficacy of a novel treatment for dry macular degeneration
This is an especially exciting study becuase, to date, there have been no effective treatments for dry disease, other than vitamin supplementation.
For information contact Page Bunch or Magaret Trimble at John Kenyon American Eye Institute. |
