Novartis shows leadership in ophthalmology at EURETINA

New data on Swiss pharma major Novartis’ (NOVN: VX) ophthalmic drugs Lucentis (ranibizumab) and Jetrea (ocriplasmin) from over 40 abstracts, as well as new surgical retina products, were presented at this year's EURETINA congress in London.

The new data and products continue to highlight Novartis commitment to ophthalmology, and underscore its dedication to continually find new ways to protect and enhance eye health for patients, the company said.

Among the Lucentis highlights at EURETINA was the retrospective analysis of data from a US claims database. The database offers the first direct comparison of the risk of developing a condition known as endophthalmitis for patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD) treated with injections of Lucentis or aflibercept (Bayer/Regeneron’s Eylea) in the eye. A total of 253,647 Lucentis injections (in 54,551 patients) and 179,147 aflibercept injections (in 39,389 patients) were eligible for the analysis. The results suggest that the risk of endophthalmitis is 65% higher following treatment with aflibercept than treatment with Lucentis. As with all retrospective analysis of important real word data, such results should be interpreted with caution and where feasible, verified by double-blind randomized controlled trials.