Genentech drug does well in blindness test - Sacramento Business Journal:

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The San Francisco-based, wholly owned subsidiarty of Swiss drug maker said it will presentf full results ofthe 12-month, 397-patieny study at the Retina Congress in New York in late September-earlt October. Retinal vein occlusion causes a sudden loss of vision when blood flow througn a retinal vein is obstructedc by ablood clot. It oftejn is caused by an underlying condition like diabetes or hypertension and can occur in a wide rangweof ages. The study evaluated the safetty and efficacy of six monthly injections of Lucentiws into the eye in two Its main goal was to show an improvementf in vision with glasses or contact lens prescriptionj atsix months.
Branch retinal vein occlusion, whicnh occurs when one of the branchees of the main vein of the eyebecomezs blocked, affects about 684,000p people in the United States. which has operations in Vacaville, said it will undertakd another Phase III trial of Lucentis in treatin g central retinal veinocclusion — when the main vein of the eye locatecd at the optic nerve becomes blocked in the third quarter. It affectz about 211,000 people in the Unitedr States. Dr. Hal Barron, Genentech’s chief medical officer, said there are no Food and Drug Administration-approverd medicines that improve vision forsix months.
which inhibits vascular endothelial growth or VEGF, was approved in June 2006 to trear age-related macular degeneration. It had 2008 sales of $875 million in the Uniter States.