Innovation Spotlight - Visudyne

Safe, Effective Therapy Treats Leading Cause of Blindness

Visudyne Offers Hope to Two Million Americans with AMD

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness for people over 50 in the Western world. And in North America, approximately 200,000 new cases of the most severe form of AMD - "wet" - AMD occur each year.

Yet only three percent of our population knows about AMD.

Visudyneä therapy now offers hope for saving sight in the many thousands affected by this debilitating disease. It is the first and only safe, effective therapy for wet AMD approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Wet AMD causes central vision loss

If left untreated, wet AMD can lead to severe vision loss, making reading, driving a car, watching television, identifying currency, and recognizing faces difficult, if not impossible.

Wet AMD is caused by abnormal, leaky blood vessels that grow underneath the central part of the eye's retina, called the macula. These vessels leak fluid and eventually cause scar tissue. In its later stages, untreated wet AMD results in a profound loss of central vision, with only peripheral or side vision left intact.

Visudyne therapy slows the progression of wet AMD and helps save sight. This is important to the many people affected by wet AMD and to those who become their caregivers.

Visudyne patient Alma Baker of Waterford, CT, stated, "I wasn't seeing much of anything. I'd look at a picture on the wall, and I couldn't see it, just the frame around it. Three months later my vision was much improved. I can now read."

Visudyne therapy offers hope

"Until now, there were very few options available," according to Neil Bressler, M.D., professor of ophthalmology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and lead investigator in the Visudyne clinical trials. "Visudyne therapy for the wet form of macular degeneration is a breakthrough because it's a way of treating patients who previously had no treatment available," he added.

Visudyne is the first-of-its kind therapy and combines a unique light-activated drug (Visudyne) and a non-heat producing laser to pinpoint the disease within the retina. It is a virtually painless two-step procedure performed in a doctor's office on an outpatient basis. Visudyne therapy can be used in about 40 percent of newly diagnosed wet AMD cases.

First, Visudyne is injected intravenously into the blood stream, usually through a patient's arm. It is absorbed rapidly into the abnormal vessels associated with wet AMD. After a five-minute waiting period, the "photosensitive" drug is activated by shining a non-heat producing laser light at the effected area in the retina for exactly 83 seconds.

When the treatment area is exposed to the laser light, Visudyne is activated, producing a chemical reaction that destroys the abnormal blood vessels. These abnormal vessels are sealed without damaging the overlying retina. This cutting-edge medical technology is part of an emerging new platform know as Photodynamic Therapy, or PDT.

Early detection is key

Early detection of wet AMD is crucial. Left untreated, the condition progresses with alarming speed. Because the incidence of AMD increases markedly with age, individuals over the age of 50 are strongly encouraged to have routine yearly check-ups by an eye care professional.

Possible warning signs of AMD include:

• Difficulty seeing at a distance or during twilight hours


• Difficulty with tasks like reading fine print or reading road signs from a moving vehicle


• Blurring of faces and difficulty distinguishing colors


• Distortion causing edges or lines to appear wavy


• Dark or empty spaces blocking the center of vision

What causes AMD?

No one knows what causes macular degeneration. Researchers are exploring several theories as to how the disease develops. It is most prevalent among Caucasian women over 60 years of age. Smoking, however, is the only clinically proven risk factor.

Potential risks factors include:

• Genetics


• Cataracts


• Hypertension
• Sun exposure


• Farsightedness


• Light skin or eye color


• A diet low in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants

For more information about Visudyne and AMD or to locate a healthcare provider offering Visudyne therapy, visit the Visudyne Web site at www.visudyne.com or call the Visudyne hotline at 1-800-821-2450.