New retina drug that improves vision with fewer injections
This is a significant advance in approaching AMD, diabetic macular oedema, and retinal vein occlusion
As of this month, the Madrid headquarters of IMO Grupo Miranza is applying a new treatment for the first time to approach retinal diseases. This is an injectable eye medication, the molecule of which is known as Faricimab, primarily indicated to approach two of the main causes of vision loss around the world: age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the first cause of blindness in the over 55s, and diabetic macular oedema, the most serious eye complication in patients with diabetes.
More prolonged effect
an ophthalmologist specialising in the retina at IMO Grupo Miranza Madrid, “the new treatment has the main advantage of requiring fewer injections in the eye over the year, as its action is more prolonged in comparison with the medication currently being prescribed. Patients with these disorders generally require injections in the eye every one to two months, whereas 80% of patients treated with Faricimab only need one injection every three months. This is a significant improvement to the quality of life of the people affected”.
The goal of injectable anti-angiogenic drugs like this new treatment is to stop and, in many cases, improve vision in patients with chronic diseases that involve severe sight loss. Two of the more frequent are wet AMD and diabetic macular oedema, although they are also used in other vascular diseases of the retina, such as vein occlusions. “These treatments are generally provided in the consultation room itself and do not require hospitalisation”, adds Dr Ruiz Medrano.
Dual action
Other advantage provided by the new treatment, which is yet to reach Spanish hospitals, is that it has the dual effect of targeting two different molecular pathways, angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), both responsible for the abnormal growth of blood vessels and for the inflammation linked to these retinal diseases.
Lastly, Dr Ruiz Medrano underlines the fact that this new drug, from which patients of the IMO Grupo Miranza clinic can already benefit, “is a great advance for the treatment of these retinal diseases, and I believe it will be a safer, more convenient and effective solution for our patients”.
