Lucentis is here!

The FDA approved Lucentis™ (ranibizumab) for the treatment of AMD last Friday. I’ve discussed the various types of treatment for wet AMD and Lucentis is currently the best. Almost all (95%) of wet AMD patients maintained their vision after one year of treatment. Maintaining vision is the most commonly used endpoint in clinical trials for treatments of wet AMD. It is defined as losing fewer than 15 letters or three lines of vision. Forty percent of patients treated with Lucentis however, had improved vision of three lines or more after one year of treatment. The average treatment gain in the whole group in the MARINA trial was 6.6 letters after two years of treatment.

Patients did best if given Lucentis once a month and the new blood vessels in wet AMD can leak and even grow after the medication is stopped. Patients ask if this means they will have to receive an injection of Lucentis once a month for the rest of their lives. Each injection carries the risk (albeit low) of causing a serious infection inside the eye called endophthalmitis. Retinal experts are trying different treatment schemes (see previous blogs) to determine if they can reduce the number of injections needed to control the neovascularization yet retain the beneficial effect on vision. For now though, it’s best to get Lucentis once a month at least until your doctor feels that the blood vessels in your eye are stable. Your doctor should follow you carefully after stopping Lucentis and you should report promptly any new symptoms of decreased or distorted vision.