Patients with “dry” age-related macular degeneration have shown dramatic eyesight improvements in a small phase 2 clinical drug trial.
Risuteganib is injected into the eye and is designed to correct some of the deterioration caused by this common form of the disease. At week 28, fully 48% of study participants had the ability to accurately name eight more letters on a vision chart when compared to their baseline capabilities, according to the drug’s developer, Allegro Ophthalmics, LLC, San Juan Capistrano, California.
Study lead David S. Boyer, M.D., told MedPage Today that the results may be due to a “neuroenhancement” effect in cells affected by macular degeneration. “I think the cells are under stress, and reducing the stress allows the cells to function better,” Boyer told the news service.
Nearly 33% of people over age 80 have macular degeneration, which can cause central vision loss and is currently considered incurable. The “dry” version of the disease accounts for up to 90% of cases, according to the American Macular Degeneration Foundation.
The researchers, of Retina-Vitreous Associates Medical Group in Los Angeles, presented their findings at the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting this week in San Francisco.
