Novartis brolucizumab 2-year data for age-related macular degeneration

Novartis CEO Vas
Narasimhan
Reuters

• Novartis’ drug brolucizumab just showed that it wasn’t any
  worse than a rival drug called Eylea at treating an eye condition
  known as age-related macular degeneration. 
• It confirmed what the company had previously found after one
  year, that Novartis’ drug was also better at reducing retinal
  thickness and retinal fluid compared to Eylea, two factors that
  are key in reducing the symptoms of the disease. 
• Novartis plans to submit brolucizumab for FDA review by
  the end of 2018. 

Novartis is gearing up to shake up a huge eye-drug
market. 

In data presented Saturday at the American Academy of
Ophthalmology annual conference, Novartis’ drug brolucizumab
showed that it wasn’t any worse than Eylea, an existing drug to
treat a condition called age-related macular degeneration. The
pair of late-stage trials evaluated brolucizumab over two
years.

With this data in hand, Novartis plans to submit brolucizumab to
the FDA for approval before the end of the year, with a potential
approval in 2019. 

If approved, brolucizumab would go up against Eylea and Lucentis,
two treatments for AMD developed by Regeneron and
Genentech/Novartis respectively that are part of the
$4.9 billion global macular degeneration market. The
drugs are all injected into the eye. Novartis’ new drug would be
given once every three months, while Eylea is injected once every
eight weeks. 

The trial also confirmed what the company had previously found in
a shorter study: that Novartis’ drug was also better at reducing
retinal thickness and retinal fluid compared to Eylea, two
factors that are important in reducing the symptoms of the
disease.

Age-related macular degeneration is a leading cause of vision
loss in the US in people over 50, according to
the National Eye Institute. It affects more than 2 million Americans and an
estimated 20-25 million globally, blurring their vision and
making it harder to drive, read, and recognize faces.
Patients can live with AMD for years, which means getting
information on how the new drug works over time is key. 

“It is important to also be able to tell the community what
happens when you follow people for another year,” Novartis
Pharmaceuticals chief medical officer Shreeram Aradhye told
Business Insider. 

Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan
told Business Insider in 2017 the development of brolucizumab
is part of the “next chapter of innovation at the company” for
eye conditions.

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