Retina Health Center is offering a new FDA-approved treatment to help patients overcome a degenerative eye disease that can damage an area of the eye responsible for sharp vision.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Beovu injections to treat wet Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), a common condition in seniors in which new blood vessels grow in the choroid layer behind the retina. The blood vessels leak fluid, lipids and blood, causing scar tissue to form and retinal cells to stop functioning.
Beovu is the first FDA-approved injection for wet AMD patients which was as effective with a three-month dosing interval after a three-month loading phase in over 50% of patients at one year. While some patients do well on existing treatments when dosed every 3 months, it is anticipated more will do well with Beovu. In the study, Beovu also showed greater fluid reduction at 16 weeks and 1 year than Eylea, an existing treatment. Fluid reduction is a key marker of treatment benefit and suggests it is more effective than Eylea.
“Retina Health Center actually participated in the HAWK trial as part of clinical studies leading up to the FDA approval,” said Dr. Alexander Eaton, founder and director of Retina Health Center. “We have always been on the cutting edge of technology, and we’re proud to be bringing this revolutionary new treatment to our patients right here in Southwest Florida.”
Wet AMD is caused by an excess of VEGF, a protein that promotes the growth of abnormal blood vessels underneath the macula, according to Beovu-maker Novartis. Beovu is engineered to suppress the growth of these blood vessels and to reduce fluid leakage into the retina.
“The approval of Beovu delivers on the Novartis commitment to reimagining treatments for patients suffering from serious visual impairment,” said Marie-France Tschudin, president of Novartis Pharmaceuticals. “The product labels of existing treatments state that they are not as effective when dosed every 12 weeks. Beovu is the first to offer less frequent dosing in the first year of therapy while maintaining its effectiveness. This gives more time for wet AMD patients to focus on what’s important in their lives.”
Patients interested in Beovu can request a consultation by calling 239-337-3337 in Fort Myers or 239-793-5200 in Naples.
About Retina Health Center
Retina Health Center and the Macular Degeneration Research Center were established in 2002 by Dr. Eaton, a long-time Southwest Florida resident, who has been practicing ophthalmology in Lee and Collier counties for more than 20 years. Dr. Eaton has served as the principal investigator for numerous studies to prevent and treat macular degeneration, and has invented various medical devices, both for patients and physicians, that today are used worldwide. For more information on the latest studies or to make an appointment, call 239-337-3337 in Fort Myers, 239-793-5200 in Naples, or visit www.retinahealthcenter.com.
