Fighting Back Against a Blinding Disease

A disease that has blinded millions now doesn't have to be quite so feared.

Every year, about 500,000 people around the world, from Argentina to Zimbabwe, are diagnosed with the "wet" form of macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness among people over the age of 50.

But there is good news: the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Visudyne' therapy for the treatment of this often devastating disease. The Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California is one of the lead study centers, and the only one in Southern California. The clinical trials were directed by Johns Hopkins University.

"This is very exciting news for more than 200,000 Americans each year who develop this condition and lose their vision from wet AMD," said Jennifer Lim, M.D., USC associate professor of ophthalmology, and one of the lead investigators in the clinical trials leading to the approval of Visudyne therapy. "Until now, we have had no effective treatment for this devastating disease, which destroys the patients' central vision and leaves them unable to read, drive, or recognize faces."

Wet AMD is characterized by the formation of abnormal blood vessels (choroidal neovascularization) that grow across the central part of the retina, called the macula. These vessels leak fluid and eventually cause scar tissue, which destroys central vision.

Visudyne therapy is a two-step procedure that can be performed in a doctor's office. First the Visudyne drug is injected intravenously into the patient's arm, says Lim. The drug is then activated by shining non-thermal laser light into the patient's eye. The activated drug causes closure of the abnormal blood vessels.

Despite the high prevalence of AMD, a recent study showed that only 30 per cent of American adults are familiar with the disease. It is estimated that approximately 500,000 new patients develop wet AMD every year around the world.

"Lack of awareness of macular degeneration is a serious concern," said Dr. Lim. "Patients who are diagnosed early have the best chances for successful treatment. We encourage everyone over the age of 50 to follow the American Academy of Ophthalmology's recommendation and see their eye care professional once a year for a check up."

Visudyne is being co-developed by CIBA Vision Corporation, the eye care unit of Novartis AG, and QLT Photo Therapeutics Inc. Upon commercialization, CIBA vision will market the product worldwide while QLT will be responsible for manufacturing Visudyne.