Oct 4 2007
Bayer AG said the VEGF Trap-Eye injection it is developing with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc helped fight wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD), one of the main causes of blindness in adults, in a phase II study.
VEGF Trap-Eye was shown to increase thickness of the retina and also improved patients' visual acuity in the clinical trial that involved 157 patients, the German drugmaker said in a statement.
No 'serious' side effects from the experimental treatment were reported and it was 'generally well tolerated', Bayer added.
Bayer and Regeneron have started enrolling patients for the third and last phase of testing required for regulatory approval. The last phase will test VEGF Trap-Eye against Genentech Inc's Lucentis.
VEGF Trap-Eye, an injection into the eye, is designed to subdue abnormal growth of blood vessels beneath the retina, which causes wet AMD.
The phase II results were presented at the Retina Society Conference in Boston, according to Bayer's statement.