Avastin and Lucentis Equally Effective Treating
Wet Aged-Related Macular Degeneration
Leading cause of blindness in senior citizens, AMD
becoming leading concern
Feb.
1, 2010 Although there has been concern about the drug Avastin (bevacizumab)
being used to treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD) although it
was originally approved as a cancer drug, a new study by Kaiser
Permanente Southern California finds it just as effective as Lucentis (ranibizumab).
The study published in this months Ophthalmology,
the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, compared two very
similar medications used to treat "wet" AMD and found the two equally
effective at halting vision loss.
Because many Americans will soon be senior citizens
(65 or older) and AMD incidence rises sharply with age, the disease is
becoming an urgent concern for the healthcare system.
Donald S. Fong, MD, MPH, and his Kaiser colleagues
followed 324 newly-diagnosed AMD patients treated with bevacizumab and
128 treated with ranibizumab between 2005 and 2008.
Visual acuity improved and stabilized in both
patient groups: the proportion of patients who had 20/40 vision or
better increased from 13.6 percent at baseline to 22.9 percent at 12
month follow-up in bevacizumab-treated patients and from 11.7 percent to
25.0 percent in ranibizumab-treated patients.
Ranibizumab (Lucentis) was specifically developed
to treat the wet (neovascular) form of AMD and received U.S. Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) approval in 2006.
Bevacizumab (Avastin) was originally approved by
the FDA as a cancer treatment and was used "off label" by
ophthalmologists before Lucentis became available. Since Avastin appears
to be beneficial and costs significantly less per dose than Lucentis,
ophthalmologists continue to use it.
Several comparative studies of the two drugs are
underway, in relation to efficacy, safety, treatment protocols and
cost-effectiveness. Results of the Comparisons of Age-Related Macular
Degeneration Treatments Trials (CATT), a randomized clinical trial
involving 44 centers across the U.S. and funded by the National Eye
Institute, are likely to be particularly important.
"Some physicians are concerned about the
effectiveness of Avastin, but our data did not seem to show any
difference," Dr. Fong said.
"Our results illustrate real-world use of AMD
treatments: at the time of our study, there was no universal agreement
within our 11 centers on optimal protocols, so treatment intervals and
the drug selected for use depended on doctor-patient preference," he
added.
About the American Academy of Ophthalmology
The American Academy of Ophthalmology is the
world's largest association of eye physicians and surgeonsEye M.D.swith
more than 27,000 members worldwide. Eye health care is provided by the
three "O's" opticians, optometrists and ophthalmologists. It is the
ophthalmologist, or Eye M.D., who can treat it all: eye diseases and
injuries, and perform eye surgery. To find an Eye M.D. in your area,
visit the Academy's Web site at
www.aao.org.
More Links to Archived Stories on Age-Related
Macular Degeneration
Feb.
1, 2010 Although there has been concern about the drug Avastin (bevacizumab)
being used to treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD) although it
was originally approved as a cancer drug, a new study by Kaiser
Permanente Southern California finds it just as effective as Lucentis (ranibizumab).