First UK patient enrolled onto Novartis retinal vascular disease study

Luminous, a program created to develop the understanding of retinal vascular diseases, has enrolled its first patient this month.

Novartis Pharmaceuticals has launched Luminous for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic macular oedema (DME) and visual impairment due to macular oedema secondary to retinal vein occlusion (RVO).

The program, in conjunction with leading ophthalmologists and the AMD Alliance International, will gather prospective data from 30,000 patients worldwide and will also include information from existing ranibizumab registries.

Christopher Brand, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, is the leading consultant ophthalmologist involved in the enrolment of the first UK patient. He said: "This programme will enable us to facilitate real-time comparisons between the results seen in the UK with different ranibizumab treatment regimens in clinics around the world. The information we receive could help us provide better care for our patients and identify the best course of therapy for each individual.”

Dr Timothy Cave, Chief Scientific Officer, Novartis Pharmaceutcals, explained: "A wealth of data is already available on the safety and efficacy of ranibizumab from clinical trials, but we hope Luminous will further support this data and provide information on the long-term outcomes in clinical practice. Novartis is committed to ophthalmology and improving understanding and treatment of vascular diseases.”