Share In a Phase II clinical trial of the pill fenretinide,  for patients with dry macular degeneration and geographic atrophy(GA) has been completed with positive results.  The data showed that fenretinide slowed the growth of geographic atrophy lesions by 45% in the 300 mg dose. Followup at the 24 month point maintained this result.

Unfortunately, because of a change in manufacturing processes in the middle of this trial, the data cannot be accepted for review by the FDA.  Unless some investor is willing to fund a repeat of the clinical trial, this promising treatment will probably never come to market.

One of the hallmarks of dry macular degeneration is the accumulation of cellular “debris”. The debris is also called “lipofuscin”. In a healthy eye, lipofuscin is reabsorbed and does not cause problems. In dry AMD, it shows up as drusen, those small deposits of proteins that appear on the retina. The debris is also present in the geographic atrophy that is the advanced form of dry macular degeneration.

The hope was that fenretinide will block the process that creates this lipofuscin and have a positive effect on drusen and geographic atrophy.