Novartis data highlights benefits of individualised Lucentis

Novartis has announced new clinical data showing that its anti-VEGF therapy Lucentis can provide sustained improvement in vision with a low number of injections, when applied using an individualised treatment regimen.

Results from the Repair study shows that an average of three Lucentis injections, administered on an individualised basis, can improve visual acuity in patients with myopic choroidal neovascularisation.

Meanwhile, data from the Restore extension study showed that individualised Lucentis can deliver maintained vision gains for diabetic macular oedema patients over three years.

Novartis is also currently carrying out a five-year trial called Luminous, which aims to assess long-term evidence on the real-world effectiveness and safety profile, and currently has more than 5,500 patients enrolled.

Tim Wright, global head of development at Novartis Pharma, said: "This new data confirms that an individualised treatment approach can lead to optimal improvements in vision with a low average number of treatments, thus ensuring that patients with retinal diseases are not over or under-treated."

Last week, the company also published positive clinical trial data for QVA149, an investigational therapy it is developing for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.