Age Related Macular Degeneration News and Research

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Regeneron, Bayer report positive results from Phase 3 VIVID-DME and VISTA-DME trials of EYLEA for DME

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Bayer HealthCare today announced that in the Phase 3 VIVID-DME and VISTA-DME trials of EYLEA (aflibercept) Injection for the treatment of diabetic macular edema, EYLEA 2 milligrams (mg) dosed monthly and EYLEA 2 mg dosed every two months (after 5 initial monthly injections) achieved the primary endpoint of a significantly greater improvement in best-corrected visual acuity from baseline compared to laser photocoagulation at 52 weeks.

6 Aug 2013

New NIH projects to target Fragile X syndrome, nicotine addiction and AMD

The National Institutes of Health has launched three innovative projects that will focus on development of therapeutics for Fragile X syndrome, nicotine addiction, and age-related macular degeneration. These projects are funded through the NIH Blueprint Neurotherapeutics Network which provides access to a variety of drug development resources.

1 Aug 2013

University of Florida receives RPB Sanders Construction grant

Research to Prevent Blindness has awarded a prestigious, one-time laboratory grant of $600,000 to the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Florida, College of Medicine. The newly created laboratory will be permanently named the RPB Mildred Krahmer Sanders and William Clifford Sanders Laboratory for Vision Research.

20 Jul 2013

IVAN study: Lucentis and Avastin effective in treating wet AMD

An anti-cancer drug has been proven to be equally as effective in treating the most common cause of blindness in older adults as a more expensive drug specifically formulated for this purpose.

20 Jul 2013

Researchers discover new protein that encourages ‘bad’ blood vessel growth

The discovery of a protein that encourages blood vessel growth, and especially 'bad' blood vessels - the kind that characterise diseases as diverse as cancer, age-related macular degeneration and rheumatoid arthritis - has been reported in the journal Nature.

18 Jul 2013

Aflibercept drug shows minor added benefit for overall survival in colorectal cancer patients

The drug aflibercept (trade name: Zaltrap) has been approved in Germany since February 2013 in combination with a certain chemotherapy for adults with metastatic colorectal cancer in whom chemotherapy with oxaliplatin could not stop the disease from progressing.

12 Jul 2013

UC Riverside professor receives grant to study potential treatment for age-related macular degeneration

A University of California, Riverside bioengineering professor has received a two-year, $120,000 grant to search for chemical compounds that have the potential to treat age-related macular degeneration.

12 Jul 2013

Tel Aviv researcher says lessons from Israel's health-care system could optimize eye health

According to the World Health Organization, 80% of blindness is preventable or treatable - but it remains a severe health concern across the globe, even in industrialized countries.

11 Jul 2013

Ohr Pharmaceutical enrolls first 60 patients in OHR-002 Phase II clinical trial for wet-AMD treatment

Ohr Pharmaceutical, Inc., a pharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapeutics for large unmet medical needs, today announced that it has enrolled the first 60 patients in the Company's ongoing OHR-002 Phase II clinical trial evaluating Squalamine Eye Drops for the treatment of the wet form of age-related macular degeneration.

10 Jul 2013

Eylea can ease vision problems for wet AMD patients

There is no cure for age-related macular degeneration, an eye disease that is the leading cause of vision loss and blindness in older Americans. Last year, the National Institutes of Health reported that two drugs injected into the eyes, Avastin and Lucentis, eased symptoms for sufferers, especially those in the advanced, "wet" stage of the disease, when blood vessels in the eye become swollen and leak fluids in the eye.

19 Jun 2013

Omeros gets regulatory clearance to begin Phase 1 clinical trial of OMS721

Omeros Corporation today announced that it has obtained regulatory clearance to start the Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating OMS721, the Company's lead human monoclonal antibody from its mannan-binding lectin-associated serine protease-2 (MASP-2) program.

13 Jun 2013

Effective method to restore sight to patients with blinding diseases

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have developed an easier and more effective method for inserting genes into eye cells that could greatly expand gene therapy to help restore sight to patients with blinding diseases ranging from inherited defects like retinitis pigmentosa to degenerative illnesses of old age, such as macular degeneration

13 Jun 2013

Aflibercept drug used for AMD shows no added benefit over current standard therapy

The drug aflibercept (trade name: Eylea) has been approved in Germany since November 2012 for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In an early benefit assessment pursuant to the Act on the Reform of the Market for Medicinal Products (AMNOG) the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) examined whether this new drug offers an added benefit over the current standard therapy.

7 Jun 2013

Perceptual learning may hold promise for improving visual functions in people with central vision loss

Perceptual learning techniques may provide a useful new approach to rehabilitation in patients with central vision loss-taking advantage of visual plasticity that persists even in old age, according to a special article in the June issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

28 May 2013

Fish oil supplements may not alter progression of age-related macular degeneration, say researchers

A large-scale National Eye Institute study has shown fish oil supplements containing omega-3 fatty acids do not alter the progression of age-related macular degeneration, says a national team of researchers including David M. Brown, M.D., an retina specialist at The Methodist Hospital who ran Houston's part of the study.

14 May 2013

Acucela begins phase 2b/3 clinical trial of emixustat hydrochloride to treat GA associated with dry AMD

Acucela Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing new treatments for sight threatening eye diseases, today announced that a phase 2b/3 clinical trial investigating emixustat hydrochloride in subjects with geographic atrophy associated with dry age-related macular degeneration has been initiated.

25 Apr 2013

Implant improves vision for patients suffering from macular degeneration

Physicians at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center have become the first in Virginia to successfully implant a telescope in a patient's eye to treat macular degeneration.

16 Apr 2013

Genes for blood vessel growth in retina are "switched on" by SRF protein

Normal functioning of the eye depends on a proper supply of blood to the retina. Light entering the eye passes through the cornea, the lens, and the vitreous body before reaching the retina, where it stimulates the nerves.

9 Apr 2013

Despite discovery of sight-saving drugs, AMD still causes severe vision loss in older Americans

Age-related macular degeneration continues to be the leading cause of visual impairment in the United States for people over age 65, according to a study recently published online in Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

4 Apr 2013

Study suggests drugs prescribed to lower cholesterol may be effective against macular degeneration

A new study raises the intriguing possibility that drugs prescribed to lower cholesterol may be effective against macular degeneration, a blinding eye disease. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision loss in Americans over 50, shares a common link with atherosclerosis.

3 Apr 2013