Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced FDA approval of Eylea (aflibercept) injection to treat all stages of diabetic retinopathy. Eylea is already approved for treatment of three conditions: neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration, macular edema resulting from retinal vein occlusion, and diabetic macular edema. This additional use of Eylea for diabetic retinopathy was approved based upon [Read More]
Category: Research and Developments
Need For Improvement in Hospital Care For Vision-Impaired Patients
Recent research spotlights a need to address certain risks and incapacities with which people with visual impairment are faced during hospital stays. Vision-impaired hospital patients have worse clinical outcomes, more readmissions, longer lengths of stay, and higher costs of care than non-vision-impaired patients, according to the authors. The article, published April 4, 2019 in JAMA [Read More]
Oral Treatment for Wet AMD Shows Promise
Alkahest Inc. has reported that AKST4290, an oral medication for treatment of wet AMD, was shown in trials to be safe, effective, and “extremely promising”. Speaking at the 2019 Retina World Congress, Michael Stewart, MD (Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville), reported that 83% of subjects’ eyes had improved acuity of a mean 7+ letters, and 21% gained [Read More]
First Gene Therapy for AMD Performed
Researchers at the University of Oxford have carried out the world’s first gene therapy operation to tackle the root cause of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). An 80-year-old woman with AMD is the first of ten people to receive the treatment. The procedure was carried out at the John Radcliffe Hospital by Professor Robert MacLaren, Professor [Read More]
New Findings in Genetic Pathologies of AMD
With recent successes in gene replacement therapy, scientists are enthused about studying how genetic variants play a part in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Previous research has identified 34 small genomic regions (“loci”) on the DNA molecule and 52 genetic variants (mutations) within those loci that are associated with AMD. Variants can regulate certain genes to [Read More]