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2007-9-3 17:33:52 |
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A recently-approved drug to treat macular degeneration in the elderly may increase a person's risk of getting a stroke. According to the New York Times, a high dose of pharmaceutical company Genentech's new eye drug Lucentis caused a stroke to occur in 1.2 percent of patients in a clinical trial compared to only .3 percent of those patients given a lower dose. Genentech sent a letter to retina specialists this past week reporting the findings, the Times reports, although a company spokesperson said that the significantly different statistical finding probably would not change the information on the drug's label, because it already contains a warning about possible clotting or stroke risk. The importance of Lucentis (ranibizumab) is that clinical trials have demonstrated it is the first drug that actually causes vision improvement in people suffering from macular degeneration, rather than just slowing degeneration of eyesight, the newspaper reports. Macular degeneration, which leads to blindness, especially in the elderly, is caused by the degeneration of part of the retina, leading to blurry vision or vision that excludes the ability to see peripherally. ----- Last Updated: Jan. 28, 2007 Copyright © 2007 ScoutNews LLC. All rights reserved. |
