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Follow on Google News | National Medical Announcement Makes Drug More Affordable for SeniorsRetina Consultants of SWF is one of only 2 sites in Florida and 43 sites nationwide to test the effectiveness of two drugs that will have a profound impact on seniors with "wet" macular degeneration.
By: Susan Bennett, Susan Bennett Marketing & Media, LC The announcement has profound implications for the pocketbooks and treatment of Southwest Florida senior citizens with AMD, the leading cause of blindness among older Americans. Retina Consultants of Southwest Florida, with offices in Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties, is one of only two sites in Florida and 43 in the United States to participate in the clinical trial that compares the effectiveness of the two drugs manufactured by pharmacy giant Genentech. Retina Consultants tested the efficacy of the two drugs through its research arm, the National Ophthalmic Research Institute (NORI). About 1,200 patients nationwide (including those from Retina Consultants) Lucentis was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2006 for the treatment of the wet variety of AMD. It costs about $2,000 per month for each injection, with an injection needed about once per month. Avastin is a drug closely related to Lucentis and was approved in 2004 as a treatment for patients with advanced colorectal cancer. Many retina specialists have used Avastin off-label as an alternative to Lucentis since the cost is only $40 to $50 per injection. “We are very pleased that the NEI undertook this important study, which we participated in. We are not surprised by the results, as they mirror our own observations at Retina Consultants,” Walker said the NEI announcement provides results from the first year of the clinical trial, which is now underway for a second year. Retina Consultants of Southwest Florida is the most experienced team of retina specialists in Southwest Florida with combined experience of more than 100 years. Offices are conveniently located in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Bonita Springs, Naples and Port Charlotte. Doctors with Retina Consultants of Southwest Florida are Fellows of the American College of Surgeons, members of the American Society of Retina Specialists, American Academy of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School’s Schepens Eye Research Institute Faculty, and the American Medical Association. Retina Consultants of Southwest Florida offers all of the FDA-approved therapies for retinal eye disease and is a leader in clinical research through the National Ophthalmic Research Institute (NORI), including clinical trials funded by the National Eye Institute, The Schepens Eye Research Institute, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, and other public and private medical research foundations. Background Reading: http://www.nei.nih.gov/ http://www.nejm.org/ http://www.nejm.org/ http://www.nytimes.com/ End
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