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Anecortave acetate ‘clinically equivalent’ to PDT with verteporfin, study says
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FORT WORTH, Texas — A 2-year study comparing anecortave acetate to photodynamic therapy with verteporfin for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration showed the treatments to be “clinically equivalent,” according to a press release from Alcon.
With 24-month follow-up, no clinically relevant safety issues were observed due to Retaane (anecortave acetate, Alcon) or the posterior juxtascleral depot procedure used to administer the drug, according to the press release.
Further, the data “continued to show Retaane suspension is clinically equivalent to PDT with Visudyne (verteporfin for injection, Novartis/QLT),” the Alcon press release said. The mean visual acuity for both treatment groups was clinically stable from month 12 through month 24.
Retaane is an angiostatic cortisene that inhibits the abnormal growth of blood vessels, according to the press release.
Alcon has received an “approvable” letter from the Food and Drug Administration for the drug, and the company is pursuing regulatory approval in Australia, Canada, the European Union and Switzerland.
At the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting in Chicago, Jason Slakter, MD, said there were “no great differences” between the two treatments, with patients in both arms of the trial gaining 3.5 letters of visual acuity.
“The benefits of this treatment outweigh the risk,” he said, referring to Retaane.