Novartis Vision Drug Shows Positive Results in Phase 3 Trials
November 13 2017 - 4:35AM
Dow Jones News
By Euan Conley
Novartis AG (NOVN.EB) said on Friday that the results of two
phase 3 trials of brolucizumab, a treatment for neovascular
age-related macular degeneration, or nAMD, led to "significantly
fewer" patients showing signs of disease activity and retinal
fluid.
The Swiss pharmaceuticals company said that brolucizumab had met
the primary endpoint of non-inferiority against Regeneron
Pharmaceuticals (REGN) aflibercept drug. Results from the trials
had also shown superior reductions in retinal thickness owing to
fluid accumulation compared to aflibercept, Novartis added.
"The absence of fluid for patients in the brolucizumab arm
suggests the potential for a long-lasting effect and decreased
treatment need," Novartis said.
nAMD is a condition that causes rapid deterioration in central
vision. Drug therapies for nAMD usually require frequent injections
into the eye. The pharmaceuticals company described brolucizumab as
the first and only anti-vascular edothelial growth treatment to
show visual gains with a majority of patients with less frequent
12-week treatment intervals after the loading phase in randomized
clinical trials.
Novartis said Monday that it expects to file for the nAMD
indication by the fourth quarter of 2018.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, nAMD is the leading cause of vision loss and blindness
for Americans aged 65 and older.
Write to Euan Conley at euan.conley@dowjones.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 13, 2017 04:20 ET (09:20 GMT)
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