Cancer Drug Effective for Treating Sight Loss in the Elderly

Bevacizumab, a drug commonly used for treating bowel cancer, has been found useful in preventing wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to a new study.

Researchers at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (London, United Kingdom), Bristol Eye Hospital (United Kingdom), and Cheltenham General Hospital (United Kingdom) conducted a prospective double-masked trial involving 131 patients (mean age 81) with wet AMD who were randomized to either intervention or control (one of 3 different treatments available on the UK National Health Service (NHS) at the start of the study). The intervention involved bevacizumab 1.25 mg--three loading intravitreous injections at six week intervals, followed by further treatment if required at six week intervals--or the standard treatment available at the start of the trial. The main outcome measures were the proportion of patients gaining over 15 letters of visual acuity (VA) at one year; secondary outcomes were the proportion of patients with stable vision and mean change in VA.

The results showed that in the bevacizumab group, 32% of the patients gained 15 or more letters from baseline VA, compared with only 3% in the standard care group; In addition, the proportion of patients who lost fewer than 15 letters of VA from baseline was significantly greater among those receiving bevacizumab treatment (91% compared to 67% in the standard care group). Mean VA increased by 7 letters in the bevacizumab group with a median of seven injections, compared with a decrease of 9.4 letters in the standard care group. Among the 65 patients treated with bevacizumab, there were no cases of endophthalmitis or serious uveitis related to the intervention. All end points with respect to VA in the study group at 54 weeks favoured bevacizumab treatment over standard care. The study was published in the June 10, 2010 issue of the BMJ (British Medical Journal).

"Bevacizumab 1.25 mg intravitreous injections given as part of a six weekly variable retreatment regimen is superior to standard care, with low rates of serious ocular adverse events,” concluded lead author Adnan Tufail, M.D., a consultant ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital. "Treatment improved visual acuity on average at 54 weeks.”

Bevacizumab, commercially known by the brand name Avastin, is a humanized antibody to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). It is a much cheaper alternative to the currently approved drug for AMD, ranibizumab, which was not available via the NHS at the time the study was conducted.

Related Links:
Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Bristol Eye Hospital
Cheltenham General Hospital