Novartis reports positive Lucentis data at ARVO conference

Novartis has showcased positive new clinical data on its ocular disease therapy Lucentis at the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO).

More than 200 abstracts pertaining to the wet age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular oedema (DMO) treatment were presented during the conference, showcasing its long-term safety and efficacy.

Specifically, the data demonstrated that Lucentis can be successfully deployed as part of an personalised as-needed dosing regimen, allowing patients to experience maximum vision gains while minimising the number of necessary injections.

Results from the Restore DMO trial showed that an average of 3.7 injections in the second year was sufficient to fully maintain mean visual acuity gains seen in the core study, falling to 2.7 injections in the third year.

Tim Wright, global head of development at Novartis Pharma, said: "The research presented on Lucentis this week at ARVO highlights the benefit of an individualised approach to treating patients rather than a fixed, inflexible regimen."

Earlier this month, the company reported positive data from a phase III study of pasireotide LAR, its innovative new treatment for acromegaly.