Neovista Radition Treatmants Show Great Promise

November 04, 2010  
by: Eugene W.M. Ng , M.D., M.B.A.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) remains one of the leading causes of vision loss in older adults in the Western world. Most patients have the dry form of AMD, but approximately 10% of patients develop the wet, or neovascular, form of AMD. The hallmark of wet AMD is choroidal neovascularization (CNV), which is a sprout of abnormal, new blood vessels growing directly underneath the retina, typically right under the center of the macula. These vessels leak fluid and< bleed, resulting in dramatic vision loss.

The Epi-Rad Radiotherapy System, a Novel and Innovative Approach to Treating Wet AMD

Retina Institute of Hawaii is the leading recruitment center in the nation for clinical trials of a novel radiotherapy approach for the treatment of wet AMD. Oncologists combine the use of anti-VEGF therapies with radiotherapy in order to improve outcomes in the treatment of various cancers. Retinal researchers are now evaluating the concept of combining radiotherapy with anti-VEGF therapy in order to reduce the frequency of drug treatments or enhance visual outcomes in wet AMD.

NeoVista, a pioneering medical device company, has developed the Epi-Rad instrument, which allows targeted, local delivery of radiation to CNV lesions via a simple intraoperative procedure. With NeoVista’s novel wet AMD therapy, the outpatient procedure takes about 30 minutes, and results are noticed within four to eight weeks post-surgery. Just one month after surgery, patients can go from vision acuity of 20/400 to 20/50.

RIH was selected as one of a small number of sites for the pivotal CABERNET and MERITAGE clinical trials. The results of these studies and potential application for FDA approval are expected soon.

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