The first drug treatment for one of the leading causes of blindness could become available through the NHS.
Pegcetacoplan tackles dry age-related macular degeneration, or dry AMD, which affects more than 500,000 Britons and accounts for a quarter of the UK’s cases of severe vision loss.
According to research, the jabs can slow the eye damage that causes vision loss by more than a third.
The condition is much more common in the elderly, affecting about one in five people over the age of 90.
Several advances have been made in the treatment of the less common wet AMD, where vision loss occurs rapidly. This type is caused by an overgrowth of blood vessels that leak fluid into a part of the eye called the macula, which gives the eye clear vision in the direct line of sight, essential for activities such as reading or driving.
Drugs that stop this process are effective for preserving vision. Known as anti-VEGF medications, they are given as injections directly into the white of the eye and stop the release of proteins that cause the leaky blood vessels.
Pegcetacoplan tackles dry age-related macular degeneration or dry AMD, which affects more than 500,000 Britons and causes a quarter of the UK’s cases of severe vision loss
Experts have described the discovery of peccetacoplan – given as an injection once or twice a month in hospitals – as a ‘revolutionary moment’ for AMD patients
Dry AMD occurs when, for reasons that are not fully understood, cells responsible for vision in the macula begin to die, leading to a gradual loss of vision. Previously there was no treatment.
But after positive results from international studies, including some conducted in UK hospitals, the US health watchdog, the Food and Drug Administration, has given peccetacoplan, also known as Syfovre, the green light for patients with severe dry AMD.
Meanwhile, Britain’s drug watchdog, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, is conducting its own checks on the treatment for approval for its use.
“I expect it will be approved for some patients at least by the end of this year, early next year,” said Dr Christiana Dinah, the ophthalmic research lead at London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust who is leading the studies in the UK. led.
Experts have described the discovery of peccetacoplan – which is given as an injection once or twice a month in hospitals – as a ‘revolutionary moment’ for AMD patients.
“Until now there was nothing at all for the dry form of the condition,” says Dr. Dinah. “Patients are gradually not seeing their grandchildren’s smiles or their grandchildren’s words in a book — and it can be devastating because there’s nothing we can do.”
But pegcetacoplan dramatically slows the proliferation of dead cells that cause dry AMD by dampening part of the immune system, preventing the fighting cells from attacking the macular nerve tissue.
Researchers gave 1,250 patients with advanced dry AMD one of three treatments: monthly injections, injections every other month or a sham shot. After 18 months, those who had monthly shots saw an average 22 percent reduction in disease progression compared to the dummy group. In some patients, the figure was as high as 36 percent. There was an average decrease of 17 percent in those who received the shot every other month.
‘We would say it gave patients about an extra year to 18 months before the damage reached the macula, which is when central vision deteriorates dramatically,’ adds Dr Dinah. “It gives them more time to see the things they want to see.”
The treatment was said to be “generally well tolerated,” although there were some side effects, including eye pain and spots in the patient’s vision called floaters.
David Freeman, 83, from London, took part in a UK study with pegcetacoplan about 18 months after his eyesight began to deteriorate due to dry AMD.
“Daylight would feel blinding,” he says, “and I started struggling to see people’s faces — it was like looking through a sheer curtain.”
Today, a year after his monthly injections, he says his vision has not improved, but the shots have “stopped” the condition.
“I thought things would go downhill very quickly,” he says, “but not much has changed. I can still read words on an iPad, using a magnifying glass, and I can watch TV if I’m relatively close to it.”
He said he would recommend the treatment to anyone.
“The thought of a needle in your eye is not fun, but it doesn’t hurt because they give you anesthetic drops,” he says. “You barely feel it.”