Patients who are undergoing anti-VEGF treatment with Beovu (brolucizumab) for wet AMD should be aware that the drug is currently being investigated by the drug’s manufacturer, Novartis, for potential adverse events in some patients. Beovu was approved for clinical use in October 2019, and it has since shown to be an effective and long-lasting inhibitor [Read More]
Category: Therapies, Treatments, and Procedures
Some Wet AMD Patients May Not Need Injections Forever
A study concluded in 2019 suggests that some patients with wet AMD can retain good visual acuity with no treatment for at least 3 years after stopping anti-VEGF treatment. Researchers compared two groups from the 2008-2009 Comparison of Age-Related Macular Degeneration Treatments Trials (CATT). The first group was comprised of patients who had been released [Read More]
“How long will my anti-VEGF drug therapy be effective?”
This is becoming a common question among people who have been treated for years with anti-VEGF drug therapy. These eye injections are the gold standard for treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (wAMD), having been first used clinically in 2004. The news is good. A recent retrospective review in the U.K. has found that almost [Read More]
How Do They Come Up With Those Drug Names?
Macugen. Lucentis. Avastin. Eylea. Beovu. All of those are anti-VEGF drugs prescribed for treatment of wet AMD and other conditions involving growth and leakage of new blood vessels in the retina. Those brand names appear in articles and ads, but rarely in eye specialists’ notes and prescription orders. Such names are designed mainly for public [Read More]
New treatment approved for wet age-related macular degeneration
Novartis announced on October 8, 2019 that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved BEOVU® (brolucizumab-dbll) injection for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD). This is the fourth anti-VEGF drug treatment to be approved for wet AMD, the others being Lucentis (Genentech), Eylea (Regeneron), and off-label Avastin (Genentech). Similar to its [Read More]