The first treatment for a leading cause of blindness in people over 50 has been approved for use in Australia.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has approved the use of the new treatment for geographic atrophy, a disease which causes severe, progressive central vision loss.
Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA) Head of Macular Research Professor Robyn Guymer said the condition was the leading cause of legal blindness for people over 50 and affected about 100,000 Australians.
“Until now there has been no approved treatment for Australians with geographic atrophy, which can cause people to lose their ability to read, drive and recognise faces,” Professor Guymer said.
She said Australia was the first country, outside of the United States, to approve the use of the drug pegcetacoplan (SYFOVRE) to slow down the progression of geographic atrophy.
Professor Guymer led CERA’s involvement in international clinical trials into the new drug and was on the global advisory committee for the pharmaceutical company Apellis.
“(Studies) demonstrated that regular eye injections with pegcetacoplan slowed down the growth of lesions in which the retina’s light-sensing photoreceptor cells die, leaving holes with no vision.
“The approval is a game changer for the treatment of geographic atrophy and brings hope to tens of thousands of Australians who have been waiting for a treatment,’’ she said.
Professor Guymer said the approval of a treatment that could slow the progression of geographic atrophy was a positive first step, with scientists now hoping to continue research which aimed to find ways of preventing damage before it occurs.
