A recent trial involving 220 macular degeneration sufferers has shown that a “long-acting port delivery system” (in other words, a slow-release implant) has allowed some of the trial group to go up to 15 months between treatments.

This will be welcome news for macular degeneration sufferers who currently rely on monthly injections of Lucentis to slow the progress of the disease. Lucentis is used by millions across the globe – before its introduction in 2006, people with wet AMD were almost certain to develop severe vision loss. Although Lucentis enables 90% of patients to keep their vision, many patients fail to keep up the regular regimen of injections, which means that the actual success rate is closer to 50%. It is hoped that adoption of this implant will improve those statistics.

The study did show some negative effects of surgery, but overall the safety profile of the new method was good. Dr Carl D. Regillo, leader of the research team from Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, anticipates that the new delivery system could be available in as little as 3 years.

Sources:

1.News Medical Net:
Easier treatment for age-related macular degeneration shows promise in clinical study.

2.The Senior:
Eye injections for macular degeneration could be replaced with refillable implant.