Avastin Lucentis Update 28 Sustained Release Lucentis May Eventually Change the Equation

In an announcement this morning, Roche and Genentech announced that they had struck a licensing and development deal with Surmodics, Inc., for the latter’s proprietary, biodegradable microparticle drug delivery system. The companies plan on developing a sustained release delivery formulation for Lucentis to treat age-related macular degeneration.

The agreement also provides Roche and Genentech with the opportunity to develop additional compounds, using a sustained drug delivery system, for the treatment of other ophthalmic diseases.

If the new sustained release version of Lucentis provides a better mechanism for delivering this anti-VEGF drug to the retina, acting over a sustained period, it could change the number of doses required for treatment. If one long-lasting Lucentis treatment provides a better outcome than several monthly injections, the patient and doctor interaction could be drastically reduced from the current need for five or six injections per year, to possibly a single or two doses!

However, a development program of this type will probably require a full Phase 3 study and might take close to five years to reach the market.

So, for now, don’t hold your breath!

How Often Should I Change My Contact Lenses

If I want to save some money, do I really need to change out my contact lenses as often as they say I do? What will it hurt if I want to extend my time wearing the same ones when they look and seem just fine?

When we are all trying to save money and care for our eyes, taking a closer look at the above questions seem worth asking, especially since we know that almost everything we buy is pushed in our face more than we need it.

There are three different basic disposable lenses. There are the ones that are supposed to be changed out every two weeks, the ones that are to be replaced monthly and the reusable lenses that are supposed to be replaced every 6 months.

Why does an eye doctor prescribe the monthly replacement lenses to one person and then two week replacement lenses to someone else?

Do we really need to change out our disposable lenses at all? The answer to that question is yes. Protein, lipids, calcium and other substances build up on your lenses from your tears.

Who really set the rules on how often contact lenses need to be changed out anyway? It is true that the eye doctor must tell you certain things, but who tells him? Is Acuve setting the standards or is someone else doing it?

One thing is for sure, if you are dealing with contact lense discomfort in the eyes, deciding not to switch to new lenses is a bad mistake. We only have two eyes and we depend on them. Eye infections can be dangerous.

Certain eye conditions could cause damage to your eyes if you don't change out your lenses, but what about the average contact wearer?

Statistics show that doctors routinely prescribe the disposable contact lenses that need to be changed out most often. Perhaps saving money could mean going back to the doctor and asking that he prescribe the ones that you can wear much longer.

As we all are looking to cut costs with the economy, thinking about getting the type of contact lenses that can be kept for at least a month to 6 months, especially if you have several household members that wear then, can save you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in one year.