Macugen
Anti-VEGF TherapyThe other two drugs are: Lucentis and Avastin. This wet macular degeneration treatment was first approved by the FDA in Dec 2004 and Lucentis in 2006. If you would like to read more about the anti-vegf drug Lucentis click here: Lucentis Avastin is being used in an off-label drug capacity. Currently there are several clinical trials evaluating Avastin in the treatment of wet AMD. For more information about Avastin click here:
Avastin
Safety and Efficacy
According to the FDA website:"The safety and efficacy of Macugen was studied in two trials in patients with wet AMD for two years. Patients treated with this drug exhibited a significant decrease in vision loss in both trials. Serious adverse events related to the injection procedure included infections, retinal detachment, and traumatic cataract. Other frequently reported adverse events in patients treated with Macugen were eye irritation, eye pain, hemorrhage under the outer membrane of the eye (conjunctiva), and blurred vision." Anti-vegf drugs works by inhibiting new blood vessel growth. To read more about anti-vegf drugs click here: Anti-VEGF Macular Injections The medication is injected into the eye every six weeks by your ophthalmologist. The eye is numbed before the injection, but you will feel some pressure. Please talk to your physician about all possible side effects. Anti-Vegf StudyCurrently there is a phase II clinical trial in Vienna, Austria called the MAAM Study.This study is ongoing, but not recruiting participants. There are three arms to the study: √ Avastin first folowed by retreatment of Macugen √ Avastin only with intravitreal injections every 6 weeks √ Macugen only with intravitreal injections every 6 weeks It will be interesting to see the results of this study when they become available. There are still several active clinical trials that are looking at the role of this drug for the treatment of wet macular degeneration. Go from Macugen to anti-VEGF Therapy
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