FDA approves Regeneron's Eylea for wet age-related macular degeneration

Following unanimous advisory panel support for the drug, the US Food and Drug Administration has approved Regeneron Pharmaceuticals’(Nasdaq: REGN) Eylea (aflibercept) Injection, also known as VEGF Trap-Eye, for the treatment of patients with neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration at a recommended dose of 2mg every four weeks (monthly) for the first 12 weeks, followed by 2mg every eight weeks (The Pharma Letter June 20).

Regeneron said it will launch Eylea next week. Each dose will cost $1,850, or $16,000 a year, while competitor wet-AMD treatment Lucentis (ranibizumab), sold in the USA by Roche, costs $2,000, or $29,000 a year. Regeneron said health insurers and programs like Medicare will save money because patients won't have to visit their doctor as often for injections and checkups. It said those visits cost $250 to $300 each. The firm’s shares edged 1.1% higher to $50.35 in aftermarket trading on Friday.

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