Macugen shows promise in DR & CRVO

Results from Phase II continuation studies of pegaptanib sodium (Macugen) for the treatment of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and Central Retinal Vein Occlusion (CRVO), found that the relative benefits of the treatment were maintained throughout the continuation period with no new safety signals to report.

The first trial found that, at week 36, 34% of patients with diabetic macular oedema had gained ≥10 letters of visual acuity (VA) when treated with Macugen compared with 10% of controls. Furthermore, it was also discovered that Macugen regressed the pathologic neovascularization of early proliferative DR. The relative benefits were maintained through to week 82.

The trial in patients with non-ischaemic CRVO found that Macugen improved VA and had an early effect at week 24 and, once the regular injections were stopped, these relative benefits were maintained through to week 52.

Macugen, a selective anti-VEGF inhibitor, is already approved for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration.