Novartis receives new EU approval for Lucentis

Novartis' eye drug Lucentis has become the first anti-VEGF therapy licensed for four indications in the EU.

The European Commission has ratified the product for the treatment of visual impairment due to choroidal neovascularisation (CNV) secondary to pathologic myopia, based on clinical trial data showing its ability to enhance vision among this patient group.

Results from the pivotal Radiance study revealed that Lucentis was able to deliver an average visual acuity improvement of up to 14 letters at one year with a median of only two injections, compared to the current standard of care.

It is the first and only licensed treatment to provide vision restoration benefits to those affected by this condition.

Tim Wright, global head of development at Novartis Pharmaceuticals, said: "This fourth indication for our pioneering ophthalmology drug Lucentis shows how far we have come since it was first launched in 2006."

CNV is the most common vision-threatening complication of high myopia, usually affecting patients younger than 50 years old, with 90 percent developing severe vision loss after five years if it is left untreated.