The pharmaceutical company Bayer celebrates a decade of innovation and collaboration with ophthalmology to improve the lives of patients with eye diseases with the presentation of new new therapies to address age-related eye diseases such as neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) or Diabetic Macular Edema (DME).
Thus, the European Commission has just approved the marketing of Eylea 8 mg (aflibercept 8 mg) from Bayer for the treatment of Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration (DMAEn) or the Diabetic Macular Edema (EMD). It is the only approved drug that allows extension of treatment interval up to 5 monthsdemonstrating comparable safety and efficacy to aflibercept 2 mg with an associated reduction in injection frequency.
It is estimated that in Spain there are one million people with visual impairment caused by various eye diseases.
As stated by the Dr. Patricia Udaondoophthalmologist at the La Fe University and Polytechnic Hospital in Valencia, «Eylea 8 mg represents an important advance in eye health since provides longer lasting disease control as clinical trials have shown. Health professionals can extend the intervals between injections up to 5 months in some cases, according to clinical criteria. This extension can be a great help to reduce the healthcare burden on the system by reduce the number of injections and hospital visits«,
For his part, the Dr. Michael DevoyChief Medical Officer of Bayer’s Pharmaceutical Division, highlights that «this approval in the EU is a milestone that can help us solve one of the main unmet needs of patients with retinal diseases«. «Patients will have the opportunity to benefit from a therapy with less frequent injections and comparable efficacy and safety”. indica.
On the occasion of its tenth anniversary, the company will reinforce its activities on various fronts of the ophthalmic health, led by the main agents in this specialty. In this sense, Ingrid Pallashead of the ophthalmology area of Bayer Spainhighlights that “our commitment to professionals in the field of ophthalmology and with the entire health ecosystem it is very solid. For a decade we have been collaborating with all the agents involved to provide valuable solutions that have a positive impact on people’s lives. And with our innovation we want to continue being a reference partner for all of them in the coming years, helping to solve some of the main unmet needs in this area.”.
In Spain, it is estimated that there are one million visually impaired people, of which 70,000 are legally blind. This fact is more common in older age groups.
The Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration (EnDMA) is considered one of the main causes of vision loss worldwide in adults over 50 years of age. In developed countries AMD is the leading cause of visual disabilityl, being responsible for 50% of cases of legal blindness.
For his part, the diabetic macular edema (EMD) is a common complication that occurs in the eyes of diabetic people. It occurs when high concentrations of glucose in the blood damage the blood vessels in the eye, which leak fluid into the macula. This can lead to vision loss and, in some cases, blindness.