Eyelea for Macular Degeneration Help

The FDA has offered additional help for patients with Wet Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) by approving a first-in-class drug called Eyelea (aflibercept). Eyelea is called a VEGF Trap-Eye that is a protein drug that soaks up the vascular endothelial growth factor molecules that promote the unhealthy growth of new blood vessels under the Retina. According to the FDA-approved labeling for aflibercept, the drug is indicated for the treatment of patients with neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration (Wet AMD) and may be given by intravitreal injection as frequently as 2 mg every four weeks, but additional efficacy was not demonstrated with this schedule compared with the eight-week interval. As with other drugs that are VEGF inhibitors, there is a potential risk of arterial thromboembolic events, defined as nonfatal stroke, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or vascular death (including deaths of unknown cause) with the incidence of such events in the aflibercept trials occurring in 1.8% of patients.