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Anecortave acetate can reduce IOP and last months
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CHARLESTON, S.C. — The effects of anecortave acetate can last months and can help lower IOP by more than 30% when combined with other medications, according to a presentation at the American Glaucoma Society meeting.
Alan L. Robin, MD, said eyes with intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide-induced glaucoma are complicated to treat because of months-long elevated IOP levels. “Over the past few years we have seen an almost epidemic of the use of intravitreal and subtenon steroids for a variety of retinal diseases,” he said. Dr. Robin said the side effect of this type of treatment is an acute and long-lasting IOP rise. However in spite of maximum therapy, the patients he studied were still in need of surgery to lower IOP levels.
Dr. Robin injected anecortave acetate through an anterior juxtascleral depot in six patients whose mean IOP was almost 40 mm Hg. In this patient group, Dr. Robin found more than a 10 mm Hg decrease in IOP. The drug itself, Dr. Robin said, stayed in the eye for about 3 months and the effect lasted for as long as 10 months.
“All of these candidates were surgical candidates,” he said. “We really showed that in six of seven, pressure lowered and three of six avoided surgery … It may have potential for other indications.”
Alcon will market the drug as Retaane in the United States when it receives regulatory approval. Retaane was submitted for U.S. and European approvals in 2004; however, Alcon recently withdrew its European application. Alcon is seeking approval of the drug as a treatment for patients with subfoveal choroidal neovascularization due to age-related macular degeneration.