NeoVista’s brachytherapy found effective against wet AMD

The promising data from the study, which was initiated by NeoVista to test the efficacy and safety of their novel therapy when used in conjunction with Avastin (bevacizumab), showed a marked improvement in mean visual acuity.

In the ongoing nonrandomized, multicenter feasibility study, 34 subjects with predominantly classic, minimally classic, or occult (with no classic) choroidal neovascularization (CNV) received a single 24 Gy treatment of NeoVista’s epiretinal brachytherapy in combination with two injections of Avastin, one dose prior to or at the time of radiation delivery and another one month later, depending on which arm of the trial the patient was enrolled in.

After 12 months of follow-up on 33 of the trial participants, subjects had experienced a mean improvement in visual acuity of 10 letters using the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) test; 94% of patients lost fewer than 15 letters, 39% gained 15 or more letters, and 12% percent gained 30 or more letters. 76% of the patients in the study did not require additional injections of Avastin throughout the year.

John Hendrick, president and CEO of NeoVista, said: “We’ve seen a significant amount of promise so far with epiretinal brachytherapy and we’re excited to see the ultimate potential of the therapy when evaluated in our definitive Phase III trial.”