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Japanese government will reimburse for Visudyne treatment

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VANCOUVER, B.C. — Photodynamic therapy with verteporfin for treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration will be reimbursed by the Japanese government, according to an announcement by the maker of the drug.

In October, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare approved the use of Visudyne (verteporfin for injection, Novartis Ophthalmics) for treatment of wet AMD with all types of subfoveal choroidal neovascularization. QLT, which makes the drug, announced that the government has now also agreed to reimburse for the treatment.

The Japanese approval for Visudyne was based on results of a 12-month clinical trial conducted in Japan. According to QLT, a comarketer of the drug with Novartis Ophthalmics, approximately 75% of patients in the study maintained or improved their vision as a result of Visudyne therapy.

In other Visudyne news, Novartis reported first quarter sales of the drug of about $101 million, an increase of 23% from the previous year.