Medication for Dry Macular Degeneration Coming Soon?

While Wet Macular Degeneration has enjoyed the fruits of great research and effective medications, the more common Dry Macular Degeneration has no similar medications for treatment. That might be changing soon.

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By Dr. Paul KrawitzAug 25, 2019

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While Wet Macular Degeneration has enjoyed the fruits of great research and effective medications, the more common Dry Macular Degeneration has no similar medications for treatment. That might be changing soon.

The company, Allegro Ophthalmics, LLC, has developed the molecule, Risuteganib, which the company states is effective against the oxidative stress in the retina that causes macular degeneration. Recently, promising results were reported from the Phase 2 study that was conducted for a new treatment for intermediate dry age-related macular degeneration. The study results were presented at the 2019 American Society of Retina Specialists Annual Meeting. A group of 45 patients with intermediate dry age-related macular degeneration participated in the study. Researchers conducted a prospective, randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled phase 2 study. Participants were randomized to either get a 1.0 mg risuteganib injection or a placebo injection. At the sixteenth week, patients in the placebo group were given a single injection of the reisuteganib and those already in the risuteganib group received their second dose. At the end of the study, researchers determined that the initial members of the risuteganib group gained 8 letters in visual acuity in the primary endpoint while only 1 patient in the placebo group gained visual acuity of 8 letters. In addition, the safety of risuteganib was confirmed with no adverse events reported. The next step for the drug is the phase 3 trials. Until then, the best way to counteract the oxidative stress in retinas that have dry macular degeneration are with nutritional ingredients, such as the 6 ingredients in the National Eye Institute's AREDS 2 research.