Bayer announces positive phase II VEGF Trap-Eye results

Bayer HealthCare, in conjunction with its drug development partner Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, has announced positive phase II clinical trial results of the VEGF Trap-Eye used to treat the neovascular form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), also known as wet AMD.

According to the trial results, presented at the Retina Society Conference in Boston, the VEGF Trap-Eye met the primary study endpoint of showing a significant reduction in the thickness of the retina.

Furthermore, the study also met its important secondary endpoint of an improvement in visual acuity following 12 weeks of treatment.

The VEGF Trap-Eye is a human soluble vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor fusion protein that binds all forms of VEGF-A with the related placental growth factor with the role of preventing angiogenesis related to abnormal growth of blood vessels in the eye.

“All study participants received a further dose at week 12 and preliminary week 16 results showed that retinal thickness for all groups combined continued to improve with a mean decrease of 159 microns versus baseline,” the company reports.

Additionally, the average change in visual acuity showed continued improvement, with an increase of 6.6 letters when compared with the baseline figure.

In August 2007, Bayer HealthCare and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals announced the initiation of a non-inferiority phase III clinical comparability study of VEGF Trap-Eye with Lucentis (ranibizumab).