Alcon halts anecortave development in age-related MD

Huenenberg, Switzerland-based Alcon, currently the subject of a two-part takeover agreement from Swiss pharmaceuticals major Novartis (Marketletter April 14), says it has terminated the development program designed to evaluate the benefit of anecortave acetate treatment on the risk for developing sight-threatening choroidal neovascularization secondary to age-related macular degeneration.

The decision followed a planned interim analysis of studies C-02-60 A and B that was performed after 2,546 patients had completed the 24-month time point. In this review, anecortave acetate showed no effect on the primary or secondary endpoints. In addition to terminating the C-02-60 A and B evaluations, the company also stopped two smaller trials with an identical design that were being conducted in Asia, C-04-30 and C-05-34. Alcon says it is continuing to study anecortave acetate administered as an anterior juxtascleral depot to reduce intraocular pressure in patients with open-angle glaucoma.