To approve in Argentina a new treatment against macular degeneration – 27/07/2018

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of loss of central vision in over 55 years of age . Impacts on the ability to see the point, which is of great importance for reading and visualizing fine details. Its main cause is the simple pbadage of years: aging, experts say. As a result, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that its prevalence will increase in the coming years due to the aging of the world's population. In Argentina, today affects more than 100,000 people .

In people with genetic predisposition there are other factors that, added to aging, can increase the risk of develop AMD. Among them, smoking, hypertension, overweight, hypercholesterolemia, heart disease and the eyeball exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays.

"In recent years, the treatment options that we can offer to patients with AMD have improved, largely through the use of biologics such as bevacizumab Originally developed to treat different forms of cancer, ophthalmologists have been using it since 2006 with very good results, "says Daniel Benisek, ophthalmologist.

? The National Administration of Medicines, Food and Medical Technology (Anmat) approved a bevacizumab treatment for DMAE. Authorities approval was based on the "not indicated on the label" use experiment (apart from the package leaflet) of bevacizumab by physicians.

This experiment, supported by It has led to scientific organizations such as the Argentine Society. Retina and Vitré to indicate this treatment. In addition, WHO has included bevacizumab in its list of "essential drugs" for health in its chapter on ophthalmic therapies

More effective, bevacizumab is three times cheaper than other treatments for AMD. "For years we were behind that, it's a breakthrough for ophthalmologists.For the WHO, it's a starting point, not the goal.It's very positive that the cost be low and that the patient has access.There are many studies, even conducted in the country, that show that when the cost of a drug inhibits adequate treatment, the result is not good, "explains Fernando Suárez, vice-president of the Argentine Council of Ophthalmology

produced with special features for intraocular use and has an effect far superior to that offered by the other bevacizumab, This allows patients to have a new therapeutic option that helps improve their health and quality of life, "adds Benisek.