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NIH: Lucentis effectively treats proliferative diabetic retinopathy
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Ranibizumab is a viable treatment option for people with proliferative diabetic retinopathy, according to results from a clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health.
The Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Research Network enrolled 305 participants with proliferative diabetic retinopathy in one or both eyes to randomly receive Lucentis (ranibizumab, Genentech) or laser therapy, according to a press release from the NIH.
Of the laser group, about half of the eyes required more than one laser treatment. The Lucentis group was treated via 0.5 mg/0.05 mL injection into the eye once a month for three consecutive months, until the disease resolved or stabilized, the NIH said.
Vision improved in the Lucentis group at 2 years by about half a line compared with almost no change in the laser group, according to the study. A significant loss in side vision was found only in the laser group. Cardiac arrest and stroke rates were similar between both groups, and most side effects were low, with similar rates between treatment groups.
The report also suggested that Lucentis may help prevent diabetic macular edema (DME).
In those without DME at study commencement, only 9% of Lucentis-treated eyes developed DME during the study, compared with 28% in the laser group, according to the NIH.
The Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Research Network will follow patients in the study for a total of 5 years.
“These latest results from the DRCR Network provide crucial evidence for a safe alternative to laser therapy against proliferative diabetic retinopathy,” Paul A. Sieving, MD, PhD, director of NIH’s National Eye Institute, said in the release.