Genentech, maker of Lucentis treatment for wet macular degeneration, announced that it is working with ForSight VISION4 to develop a drug delivery system, designed to provide sustained release of Lucentis.  Lucentis, given monthly, is considered the "gold standard" of treatment for macular degeneration.  However, researchers and clinicians have found that most patients do well with less than monthy injections of either Lucentis or Avastin.  A new drug, EYLEA, is approved for treatment every other month and in a clinical trial was comparable to Lucentis.

However, all of these drugs require repeated injections into the eye, multiple trips to the doctors office and come with a high price tag over time.  A sustained release system would be a boon to doctors and patients, along with their families.  The device being developed is a refillable drug port delivery system, would be implanted into the eye and would release Lucentis over a period of months, reducing the need for injections.

Genentech will be submiting an Investigational New Drug (IND) application for clinical testing of the device in combination with Lucentis.

February 2012