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Wet AMD Drug Effective with Fewer Shots (Reuters)

— Trial data good news for patients and investors

MedpageToday

Novartis's brolucizumab, a.k.a. RTH258, was more effective in fighting one of the leading causes of vision loss with fewer shots than its competitors for patients who have neovascular ("wet") age-related macular degeneration (AMD), .

Late-stage data revealed that brolucizumab worked as well in patients over 65 with wet AMD as Regeneron's aflibercept (Eylea). RTH258 required a less frequent injection schedule with more than half of participants dosed every 12 weeks compared to aflibercept's 8-week rounds.

The Reuters report noted that the longer dosing interval could also give the novel drug an advantage over ranibizumab (Lucentis), another top-selling drug for wet AMD, which is typically given every 4 weeks. All three drugs target vascular endothelial growth factor, which drives neovascular activity.