DORVAL, QC, Nov. 16 /CNW Telbec/ – New Brunswickers with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) now have access to the new treatment Lucentis* (ranibizumab injection) through the New Brunswick Prescription Drug Program (NBPDP) – an important development that demonstrates the government’s commitment to ensuring New Brunswick residents diagnosed with the leading cause of adult-onset vision loss receive optimal treatment.

New Brunswick now joins Newfoundland and Labrador as the only second Atlantic province to reimburse Lucentis*, giving patients for whom the diagnosis of wet age-related macular degeneration could previously have meant rapidly deteriorating central vision loss and possibly even blindness , real hope to preserve and even improve vision and to maintain their independence.  New Brunswick now joins public drug plans in Newfoundland, Labrador, Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, the Yukon and Alberta in reimbursing Lucentis*.

Lucentis* sets a new treatment standard for people suffering from the wet form of age-related macular degeneration as the only approved therapy for wet age-related macular degeneration to demonstrate statistically and clinically significant improvement in vision in the majority of patients.  While earlier therapies were able to slow the progression of vision loss, in clinical trials, up to 40% of Lucentis*-treated patients achieved visual acuity of 20/40 or better, which is greater than the level of vision required to drive.

Designed specifically for use in the eye and administered by injection into the eye, Lucentis* helps to stabilize or improve patients’ vision and vision-related function and can increase their ability to perform activities requiring central vision such as seeing faces, reading and driving and independence.

The decision to reimburse Lucentis* is testament to the important clinical benefits of this treatment. Lucentis* was approved for use in Canada in June 2007 and in March 2008 the Common Drug Review (CDR), Canada’s national drug review process, recommended that it be listed by provincial drug plans.

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. continues to work with officials in the remaining provinces to ensure all Canadians with wet macular degeneration who rely on provincial drug plans will equally have access to Lucentis*.

About Age Related Macular Degeneration
Nearly 300,000 Canadians suffer from wet age-related macular degeneration.  It is anticipated that 20,000 new cases of wet age-related macular degeneration will be diagnosed in Canada this year alone, a number expected to double within the next 25 years.  Age-related macular degeneration is a progressive disease that causes rapid and severe central vision loss in a matter of a few weeks to months and can severely compromise a person’s ability to function independently.  Age-related macular degeneration can lead to vision loss and blindness.  Wet age-related macular degeneration is responsible for 90% of vision loss associated with age-related macular degeneration.

About Lucentis*

Lucentis* is recommended to be administered by intravitreal (in the eye) injection once a month.  Treatment may be reduced to one injection every 3 months after the first three injections if monthly dosing is not feasible.  Compared to monthly dosing, dosing every 3 months will lead to an approximate 5-letter (1 line) loss of visual acuity benefit, on average, over the following 9 months.  Patients should be evaluated regularly.

Close to 1,500 patients were followed through clinical trials. Of the reported side effects, most were mild to moderate and generally reversible.  Serious ocular adverse events related to the injection procedure are rare.  They could include inflammation of the interior of the eye, tear or detachment of the retina or traumatic cataract.  In the MARINA trial, the rate of inflammation of the interior of the eye (endopthalmitis), one of the more serious potential adverse events with Lucentis* administration, was 0.05%, or 5 cases out of 10,443 total injections.

Lucentis* was developed by Genentech and Novartis. Genentech has the commercial rights to Lucentis* in the United States, while Novartis has exclusive rights in the rest of the world.

About Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc.

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc., a leader in the healthcare field, is committed to the discovery, development and marketing of innovative products to improve the well-being of all Canadians.  In 2008, the Company invested over $96 million in research and development.  Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. employs approximately 800 people in Canada and its headquarters are located in Dorval, Quebec.  It has been named one of the “50 Best Employers in Canada” for the last three years.  For further information, please consult www.novartis.ca.

About Novartis

Novartis AG provides healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies.  Focused solely on healthcare, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs:  innovative medicines, cost-saving generic pharmaceuticals, preventive vaccines, diagnostic tools and consumer health products. Novartis is the only company with leading positions in these areas.  In 2007, the Group’s continuing operations (excluding divestments in 2007) achieved net sales of USD 38.1 billion and net income of USD 6.5 billion. Approximately USD 6.4 billion was invested in R&D activities throughout the Group. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis Group companies employ approximately 98,000 full-time associates and operate in over 140 countries around the world.  For more information, please visit http://www.novartis.com.

Forward-Looking Statement

The foregoing release contains forward-looking statements that can be identified by terminology such as “innovative”, “the first and only”, “significant”, or similar expressions, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential additional marketing approvals or future sales of Lucentis*.  Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results with Lucentis* to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements.  There can be no guarantee that Lucentis* will receive any additional marketing approvals in any other countries, or that it will reach any particular sales levels. In particular, management’s expectations regarding commercialization of Lucentis* could be affected by, among other things, additional analysis of Lucentis* clinical data, new clinical data, unexpected clinical trial results, unexpected regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally, the company’s ability to obtain or maintain patent or other proprietary intellectual property protection, competition in general, increased government, industry, and general public pricing pressures, and other risks and factors referred to in the Company’s current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.  Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those anticipated, believed, estimated or expected.  Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

* Lucentis is a trademark of Genentech, Inc., used under permission by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc.

For further information: Julie Holroyde, Hill and Knowlton, Mobile: (416) 254-5300, julie.holroyde@hillandknowlton.ca; Sabrina Tremblay, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc., Mobile: (514) 880-9766, sabrina.tremblay@novartis.com

The study showed that VEGF Trap-Eye was also associated with a reduction in the size of the choroidal neovascular membrane (CNV), the active lesion that is the underlying cause of vision loss in patients with wet AMD. Patients receiving monthly doses of VEGF Trap-Eye of either 2.0 or 0.5 milligrams (mg) for 12 weeks followed by PRN dosing achieved mean improvements in visual acuity versus baseline of 9.0 letters (p<0.0001 versus baseline) and 5.4 letters (p<0.085 versus baseline), respectively. Patients in the 2.0 mg monthly cohort also achieved a statistically significant 1.75 mm2 reduction in total lesion size. A reduction in total lesion size was not seen in the cohort initially dosed with 0.5 mg monthly.

“Progression of the active CNV lesion and resulting vision impairment are an inevitable consequence of untreated wet macular degeneration. The reduction in total active CNV lesion size achieved with VEGF Trap-Eye treatment in this Phase 2 clinical study could potentially translate into clinically meaningful outcomes in the larger, controlled Phase 3 studies that are underway,” stated Jason Slakter, M.D., head of the independent reading center for the study and a Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology, New York University School of Medicine, New York.

In this double-masked Phase 2 trial, participants were initially treated with either monthly or quarterly fixed dosing for 12 weeks and then continued to receive treatment for another 40 weeks on a PRN (as needed) dosing schedule. Patients receiving fixed monthly doses of VEGF Trap-Eye of either 2.0 or 0.5 milligrams (mg) for 12 weeks (i.e. 4 fixed doses) followed by PRN dosing achieved mean improvements in visual acuity versus baseline of 9.0 letters (p<0.0001 versus baseline) and 5.4 letters (p<0.085 versus baseline), respectively, at the end of one year. The proportion of patients with vision of 20/40 or better (part of the legal minimum medical requirement for an unrestricted driver’s license in the U.S.) increased from 23 percent at baseline to 45 percent at week 52 in patients initially treated with 2.0 mg monthly and from 16 percent at baseline to 47 percent at week 52 in patients initially treated with 0.5 mg monthly. During the week 12 to week 52 PRN dosing period, patients initially dosed on a 2.0 mg monthly schedule received, on average, only 1.6 additional injections and those initially dosed on a 0.5 mg monthly schedule received, on average, 2.5 injections.

Patients receiving monthly doses of VEGF Trap-Eye of either 2.0 or 0.5 mg for 12 weeks followed by PRN dosing also achieved mean decreases in retinal thickness versus baseline of 143 microns (p<0.0001 versus baseline) and 125 microns (p<0.0001 versus baseline) at week 52, respectively.

While PRN dosing following a fixed quarterly dosing regimen (with dosing at baseline and week 12) also yielded improvements in visual acuity and retinal thickness versus baseline at week 52, the results generally were not as robust as those obtained with initial monthly treatment.

“Anti-VEGF therapy has dramatically changed the treatment paradigm for wet macular degeneration, and improvement in visual acuity is now feasible in most patients. The biggest challenge we have is that with our current drugs, the majority of patients need frequent injections into their eye to maintain their visual acuity gains,” stated David M. Brown, M.D., a study investigator and a retinal specialist at The Methodist Hospital in Houston.”These study results reinforce our interest in further exploring whether continued administration of VEGF Trap-Eye on an as-needed basis after an initial period of fixed dosing can maintain a durability of effect over time in controlled Phase 3 clinical studies.”

VEGF Trap-Eye was generally well tolerated and there were no drug-related serious adverse events. There was one reported case of eye inflammation (culture-negative endophthalmitis/uveitis) in the study eye, which was deemed not to be drug-related. The most common adverse events were those typically associated with intravitreal injections.

About the Phase 3 Program in Wet Macular Degeneration
Regeneron and Bayer HealthCare initiated a Phase 3 global development program for VEGF Trap-Eye in wet macular degeneration in August 2007. In two Phase 3 trials, VIEW 1 and VIEW 2 (VEGF Trap-Eye: Investigation of Efficacy and Safety in Wet age related macular degeneration), the companies are evaluating VEGF Trap-Eye dosed 0.5 mg every 4 weeks, 2 mg every 4 weeks, or 2 mg every 8 weeks (following three monthly doses) in direct comparison with ranibizumab (Lucentis®, a registered trademark of Genentech, Inc.) administered 0.5 mg every four weeks according to its U.S. label during the first year of the studies. PRN dosing will be evaluated during the second year of each study. The VIEW 1 study (http://www.regeneron.com/vegftrap_eye.html) is currently enrolling patients in the United States and Canada and the VIEW 2 study (www.view2study.com) is currently enrolling patients in Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan and Latin America. The companies are collaborating on the global development of VEGF Trap-Eye for the treatment of wet macular degeneration, diabetic eye diseases, and other eye diseases and disorders. Bayer HealthCare will market VEGF Trap-Eye outside the United States, where the companies will share equally in profits from any future sales of VEGF Trap-Eye. Regeneron maintains exclusive rights to VEGF Trap-Eye in the United States.

About VEGF Trap-Eye
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) is a naturally occurring protein in the body whose normal role is to trigger formation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) to support the growth of the body’s tissues and organs. It has also been associated with the abnormal growth and fragility of new blood vessels in the eye, which lead to the development of wet AMD. The VEGF Trap-Eye is a fully human, soluble VEGF receptor fusion protein that binds all forms of VEGF-A along with the related placental growth factor (PlGF). VEGF Trap-Eye is a specific and highly potent blocker of these growth factors. Blockade of VEGF, which can prevent abnormal blood vessel formation and vascular leak, has proven beneficial in the treatment of wet macular degeneration.

About Wet Macular Degeneration 
Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of acquired blindness. Macular degeneration is diagnosed as either dry (nonexudative) or wet (exudative). In wet AMD, new blood vessels grow beneath the retina and leak blood and fluid. This leakage causes disruption and dysfunction of the retina creating blind spots in central vision, and it can account for blindness in wet macular degeneration patients. Wet macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness for people over the age of 65 in the U.S. and Europe.

About Bayer HealthCare
The Bayer Group is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer HealthCare, a subsidiary of Bayer AG, is one of the world’s leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry and is based in Leverkusen, Germany. The company combines the global activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Diabetes Care and Pharmaceuticals divisions. The pharmaceuticals business operates under the name Bayer Schering Pharma. Bayer HealthCare’s aim is to discover and manufacture products that will improve human and animal health worldwide. Find more information at www.bayerhealthcare.com.  

Bayer Schering Pharma is a worldwide leading specialty pharmaceutical company. Its research and business activities are focused on the following areas: Diagnostic Imaging, General Medicine, Specialty Medicine and Women’s Healthcare. With innovative products, Bayer Schering Pharma aims for leading positions in specialized markets worldwide. Using new ideas, Bayer Schering Pharma aims to make a contribution to medical progress and strives to improve the quality of life. Find more information at www.bayerscheringpharma.de.

Forward-looking statements
This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer’s public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

A new study by researchers at Brigham Young University and Weill Medical College of Cornell University has shown how a diet rich in antioxidants could halt the leading cause of age-related blindness, age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The study reveals how a diet consisting of foods such as artichokes, blueberries and pecans can prevent macular degeneration.

Researchers had discovered a link between two process in the retina that when combined contribute to macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindess in developing countries. However, they found that antioxidants disrupts this link and extends the lifespan of photoreceptors and other retinal cells. According to Heidi Vollmer-Snarr, “The implication is that peple at risk of macular degeneration could help prevent the disease by consuming antioxidants.”

The study published in the September 5, 2008 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, shows a destructive synergy between the build-up of a compound called A2E and damage to cellular “power plants” called mitochondria. A2E is a naturally occurring byproduct of cellular activity that won’t breakdown or be disposed by the body.

The problem occurs when A2E encounters oxidative stress created by light exposure. In this circumstance, A2E disrupts energy production of the mitochondria, which creates an energy shortage in the retinal cells. This disrupts the daily cleaning and maintenance of the irreplacable photoreceptors and another type of retinal cell.

The result of the A2E buildup and the disruption of the daily cleaning processes speeds the death of these retinal cells. Once these cells die, they are not replaced. Experiments performed with aid of visual cells from rats, cows and humans demonstrated that antioxidants could completely counter the damage and halt the development of macular degeneration. The study conducted by Dr. Vollmer-Snarr and colleagues ties together two damaging processes and demonstrates the harm they cause in combination is much more than originally suspected. It also suggests that interventions may possibly prevent or delay age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) currently affects more than 1.7 million people in the USA alone, and predictions have this number rising to approximately 3 million by 2020 due to the rapidly aging population. People with macular degeneration lose their central vision, and in some cases become blind.

SOURCE:

BYU Press Release August 19, 2008
Media Contact: Joe Hadfield
Phone: 801 422 9206

“This new design has several advantages,” says the inventor of the glasses, Dr. Eli Peli , who is a senior scientist at Schepens Eye Research Institute, a professor at Harvard Medical School, a low vision expert, and the senior author of the paper. “One major advantage is the appearance of the glasses. Because they look almost like normal everyday spectacles, it is more likely that visually impaired people will use them,” says Peli, who adds that the glasses are easier to use than existing telescope models because of a wider magnified view and easier access to that view. Most importantly, shifting the magnified view up leaves the unmagnified view of the road unobstructed, which is important for safety and facilitates navigation.

Tiny telescopes (known as Biotics) mounted on glasses to help people with visual impairments have been in existence for about 60 years. They are permitted for use in driving by 39 states. These telescopes enable a visually impaired driver to read road signs and see other objects essential for safe driving, while also viewing the larger scene in front of the vehicle. In previous designs, the telescope is mounted through the top of the regular lens or above the frame. In both cases, the telescopic eyepiece is above the wearer’s pupil, requiring the driver to tilt his/her head up and down rapidly to view alternatively the magnified and unmagnified scenes. Drivers use the telescope only for a very small fraction of the driving time, looking through the regular spectacle lens most of the time.

While these bioptic telescopes are useful and helpful, many potential users have resisted them because of their strange appearance, and because the magnified view through the telescope is narrow.

In the newer glasses, Peli and his co-inventor Dr. Vargas-Martin from the University of Murcia, Spain, designed a wide-field telescope made of straight and curved mirrors built completely within the spectacle lens,

The Journal of Biomedical Optics article describes the process that Peli and his team went through as they created and tested various prototypes of telescopes leading to the design that would be most effective and comfortable for patients with low vision. They started with a telescope made with mirrors and lenses to prove the image shifting principle. To embed the whole telescope inside the spectacle lens they had to obtain the magnifying power from curved mirrors instead of lenses, as mirrors maintain their power when embedded inside the spectacle lens, while the lenses lose their power when not in the air. Regular spherical mirrors can not be tilted without loss of focus, so they constructed a version made with tilted parabolic mirrors. The latter worked well and was in focus, but the images were distorted enough due to the parabolic shape to cause a disturbing effect during head movements. The latest design they constructed is based on spherical and flat mirrors with the flat mirrors implemented as tilted beam splitters that use polarization to reduce light loss.

Says Peli, “The short height of the actual magnifier, its position, and inclusion of a small tilt of the last flat mirror (the one closest to the user’s eye), enables the wearer to simultaneously view the magnified field above the unmagnified view of the uninterrupted horizontal field.

Not only will the new glasses improve the cosmetics and usefulness of this type of device, the in-the-lens design will make it possible to mass-produce the telescopic magnifier as a standard spectacle lens blank and allow an individual’s prescription to be added using the standard procedure for grinding regular spectacle lenses. This process should also reduce the price of bioptic telescopes

The next step for the team is to find a corporate partner to manufacture the lens blanks and distribute them to the public.

As the population ages and millions of American face limited vision because of eye disorders, such as age-related macular degeneration, the need for this type of vision aid will increase dramatically. The telescopic glasses may also find use in other markets. It may be used as hands-free opera glasses and may be of interest to hunters, police or military personnel who would like the ability to quickly and easily achieve a hands-free magnified view.

Details of the research can be found at the Schepens Eye Research Institute.

For more information please contact the Schepens Eye Research Institute.

Schepens Eye Research Institute is an affiliate of Harvard Medical School and the largest independent eye research institute in the country.

Contact: Patti Jacobs

617.864.2712
pjacobs12@comcast.net

The research looks at how microneedles can be used to deliver drugs to the eye through a minimally invasive procedure. The needles used to penetrate the eye only go as deep as half a millimetre into the eye tissue. This means that the needles do not penetrate far enough to cause as much damage as traditional needles. As a result, they can be applied to the eye using only local anaesthetic.

This technique has the potential to revolutionise the way of treating common eye conditions such as glaucoma, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. Traditional delivery methods such as eye drops have difficulty in efficiently delivering drugs to the back of the eye, and ordinary injections are invasive as the needle penetrates across eye tissues. Repeated injections with regular needles can also result in other serious complications to vision.

Samirkumar Patel from the research team, said: “The eyes are one of the most sensitive and delicate organs in the human body, and perhaps the most fascinating. They present us with the window through which we view the world, and are responsible for four fifths of all the information our brain receives.

“Although the research is at an early stage it does show that it is possible to use microneedles to effectively deliver drugs to targeted sections of the eye, such as the anterior and posterior portions. No inflammatory response or other adverse effects were observed in our early tests. This is promising news for those who are suffering from vision threatening diseases such as glaucoma, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.”

The next stage of development will be further research to confirm safety and gain a better understanding of the long-term effects.

Glaucoma
Glaucoma is the name of a group of eye diseases that affect vision. If left untreated glaucoma can eventually cause blindness. Glaucoma is more common in old age, and happens when the optic nerve in the eye is damaged. Open angle glaucoma affects about two in every hundred people over the age of 40. However, this increases over the age of 70 to one person in ten.

Macular degeneration
Macular degeneration is a painless disorder that affects the macula, the central part of the retina in the eyes, causing progressive loss of central and detailed vision. Macular degeneration is the most common reason for people in the UK to be registered blind, though total blindness almost never occurs from this condition. Age-Related Macular Degeneration is the most common form of macular degeneration although there are some rare forms that affect younger people. The incidence increases with each decade over the age of 50 to almost 15% by the age of 75. Macular degeneration is more common in females. Other risk factors include family history, and smoking.
Diabetic retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy is one of the most common causes of blindness in the UK in people between the ages of 30-65, and 12% of people who are registered blind and partially sighted each year have diabetic eye disease. Retinopathy means damage to the tiny blood vessels (capillaries) that nourish the retina, the tissues in the back of the eye that deal with light. Damage to these vessels causes blood leakage (hemorrhage), which may be small and confined to the retina, or may extend forward into the jelly that fills the main cavity of the eye (the vitreous gel). This can seriously affect the vision.

About the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain is the professional and regulatory body for pharmacists in England, Scotland and Wales. It also regulates pharmacy technicians on a voluntary basis, which is expected to become statutory under anticipated legislation. The primary objectives of the Society are to lead, regulate, develop and represent the profession of pharmacy. The Society leads and supports the development of the profession within the context of the public benefit. This includes the advancement of science, practice, education and knowledge in pharmacy. In addition, it promotes the profession’s policies and views to a range of external stakeholders in a number of different forums. Following the publication in 2007 of the Government White Paper Trust, Assurance and Safety – The Regulation of Health Professionals in the 21st Century, the Society is working towards the demerger of its regulatory and professional roles. This will see the establishment of a new General Pharmaceutical Council and a new professional body for pharmacy in 2010.

http://www.rpsgb.org

For media enquiries or to arrange an interview please contact the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain’s Public Relations Unit +44(0)20-7572-2336. Niklas Bergstrand, Senior Communications Officer, Public Affairs and Communications Directorate, Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, 1 Lambeth High Street, London SE1 7JN, Tel: +44(0)20-7572-2336, Fax: +44(0)20-7572-2503

In a media release issued from the New Zealand Branch of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophtalmologists, doctors are requesting that the drug buying agency Pharmac to provide funding for the drug Lucentis as a treatment for wet macular degeneration.

Wet macular degeneration is an eye disease that results when abnormal blood vessels grow and leak in the retina, damaging the macula, the portion of the eye responsible for central vision.  Macular degeneration has become the leading cause of blindness in people over 50 and it is estimated that approximately 15,000 New Zealanders suffer from the eye disease.  Lucentis has shown a remarkable ability to not only halt the progression of macular degeneration but in approximately 40 percent of the cases, reverse the damage caused by this eye disease.

Watching as other countries such as France, Australia and Britain move towards providing coverage for Lucentis, New Zealand eye care doctors are one again finding themselves asking for funding.

Dr. Dianne Sharp, an Aukland Ophthamologist outlined that neovascular (wet) macular degeneration affects approximately 15,000 people in New Zealand and has become the leading cause of blindness.  She explains “Previous treatments have only been able to limit the severity of vision loss in some patients with this condition.”  She goes on to say “Lucentis may not only prevent vision loss, but actually improve vision in those treated.”

Dr. Sharp indicated that it costs approximately $21,000 to care for a person that is legally blind and that the cost of providing care to those individuals resulting from falls and general care far outweighs the costs of providing treatment with Lucentis to treat those patients diagnosed with macular degeneration.

The regulatory body in New Zealand has expressed concerns over the cost of providing treatment with Lucentis, as are many other governments throughout the world.

New Zealand ophthalmologists have requested formal consultation to present its arguments for providing coverage of the drug.  Will Lucentis be funded in New Zealand and provide a site saving drug to those patients diagnosed with macular degeneration?  Only time will tell if the eye car professionals are successful in obtaining Lucentis to treat this eye disease.

The aim of this trial is to restore a basic level of useful vision, in the form of spots of light and shapes of light and dark, to people suffering severe blindness due to Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), a group of inherited eye diseases that affects the retina.

The Argus II™ technology consists of a tiny camera and transmitter mounted in a pair of glasses. This camera transmits a wireless signal via a small processing device to an ultra thin electronic receiver, and electrode panel that is implanted in the eye and attached to the retina.

The electrodes stimulate the remaining retinal nerves allowing a signal to be passed along the optic nerve to the brain. The brain perceives patterns of light and dark spots corresponding to which electrodes are stimulated.

The operations were carried out by Mr Lyndon da Cruz and his team from the Vitreo Retinal department at Moorfields, under the supervision of American colleagues who developed the device with Second Sight in the US, and who pioneered the Argus II implantation procedure.

Mr da Cruz, a consultant retinal surgeon, said: “Moorfields is proud to have been one of only three sites in Europe chosen to be part of evolving this exciting new technology. The devices were implanted successfully in both patients and they are recovering well from the operations.

“It is very special to be part of a programme developing a totally new type of treatment for patients who would otherwise have no chance of visual improvement.”

More facts about the clinical trial can be found here

About Moorfields

Opened in 1805, Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the world’s leading centres for ophthalmic treatment and teaching. With our research partner, the Institute of Ophthalmology, we are embarking on an exciting programme of research in order to find cures for currently untreatable diseases. It is the oldest and largest specialist eye hospital in the world.

Moorfields became one of the UK’s first NHS foundation trusts in 2004, and in 2007, opened a specialist children’s centre, The Richard Desmond Children’s Eye Centre.

The entire range of eye diseases is treated at Moorfields, from cataract, corneal and retinal conditions to much more complex and rare diseases.

Our eminent reputation means that patients come to us not only from all over the UK, but from around the world. 

In 2007, the National Institute for Health Research funded Moorfields and partner, the UCL Institute for Ophthalmology, to set up one of only 12 specialist Biomedical Research Centres (BMRC) in the UK, and the only one dedicated to Ophthalmology.

www.moorfields.nhs.uk

About Second Sight

Second Sight is a company located near Los Angeles in California, founded in 1998 to create a retinal prosthesis to provide sight to patients blinded from outer retinal degenerations, such as Retinitis Pigmentosa.

Through dedication and innovation, Second Sight’s mission is to develop, manufacture and market implantable visual prosthetics to enable blind individuals to achieve greater independence.

“We are pleased that Second Sight, along with Moorfields Eye Hospital, was able to initiate this clinical trial in Britain,” said Robert Greenberg, MD, PhD, President and CEO of Second Sight, and a leader in the field of retinal prostheses for more than 15 years.

The company has received extensive U.S. governmental support in developing this new technology and is grateful for the forward thinking of the National Institutes of Health/National Eye Institute and the Office of Science at the Department of Energy in supporting significant aspects of this work.

www.2-sight.com

British Retinal Pigmentosa Society
P.O.Box 350 Buckingham MK18 1GZ
Telephone – 0845 123 2354
Fax – 01280 815900
E-mail: info@brps.org.uk
Website http://www.brps.org.uk

Source: Moorsfield Eye Hospital Press Release, April 21, 2008

A team of researchers from the UK will reveal an exciting new development in the detection of glaucoma to a group of MPs in the House of Commons to mark the the first World Glaucoma Day.

Detecting glaucoma during a standard sight test can be problematic. The new Moorfields Motion Displacement Test (MDT) is reaching the final stages of development. It utilises a unique software programme to investigate the visual field (peripheral vision), one of three recommended assessments used in the diagnosis of glaucoma.

Glaucoma is the most common cause of preventable blindness. It is estimated there are 67 million glaucoma sufferers in the world, but over 50% of these are undiagnosed. This rises to 90% in the developing world.

In the UK, around 500,000 people are affected and half of these are not receiving treatment because they are unaware they have the disease, symptoms of which are not present in the early stages. The aim of this new test is to help tackle the challenge of early global glaucoma detection.

Designed to be effective, affordable and accessible to all, the Moorfields MDT software, which is in the final stages of development, will be run on a standard PC or laptop. Eventually, it is hoped that it will also be made available to download from the internet, enabling clinicians from all over the world, including those in developing countries, to use it as part of their glaucoma screening systems.

The new MDT screening technology, whose research and development was supported by Pfizer Ltd, is the result of a nine year partnership between researchers from Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, and a recent new collaboration with the Department of Optometry and Visual Science, City University London.

Ted Garway-Heath, Consultant Ophthalmologist, Moorfields Eye Hospital, commented, “The Moorfields MDT is a prime example of how universities and hospitals can work together to bring technological innovations to patients. Research helps us identify patients at greatest risk of glaucoma, provide better treatments for glaucoma and also monitoring for patients throughout the course of their disease.”

Source: Moorsfields Eye Hospital (http://www.moorfields.nhs.uk) 2008-03-06