Lucentis relieves retinal occlusion

Monthly injections of Lucentis can significantly improve sight in people with retinal vein occlusion, which leads to vision loss, according to research released by Roche Holding AG’s Genentech unit on Thursday.

The condition, which primarily affects older people, is characterized by blockage of the blood supply from the retina—the light-sensitive tissue in the back of the eye—causing fluid to build up and vision to cloud. It may be caused by a blood clot, associated with diabetes, Atherosclerosis, or other conditions that can cause a blockage.

Lucentis, generically known as ranibizumab, is currently approved by the US FDA for treating age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in older adults.

The study evaluated 6 monthly injections of Lucentis compared with monthly placebo injections in 397 patients with branch retinal vein occlusion, the blockage of one of the four veins attached to the retina.

The study achieved its main goal of improved vision at 6 months. The safety profile of Lucentis was consistent with previous experience with the drug, Genentech said.

“Retinal vein occlusion is a devastating disease and there are no FDA-approved medicines shown to improve vision for 6 months,” Hal Barron, Genentech’s chief medical officer, said in a statement.

Ranibizumab is designed to block a protein that is believed to play a role in the formation of new blood vessels.

By eliminating macular edema, Lucentis enables the retina “to remain essentially viable, preserving the retina and preserving vision, so the body can dissolve the thrombus,” or clot, according to Dr. Roman Rubio, associate medical director of ophthalmology at Genentech.

He said that in about 30 percent of cases, the occlusions eventually resolve on their own.

The company is also testing Lucentis in patients with central retinal vein occlusion—a condition in which blockage is in the central retinal vein that returns blood to the heart.

Genentech estimates that there are about 144,000 new cases of branch retinal vein occlusion in the U.S. each year and about 36,000 new cases of central retinal vein occlusion, far less than age-related macular degeneration.

Full results of the study will be presented at the Retina Congress in New York, which runs from September 30 to October 4.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters)