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news.In a two-year review of safety data from a trial evaluating Pfizer's wet AMD medication Macugen, the VEGF inhibitor was not associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular adverse events such as blood clots, excessive bleeding or hypertension.
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Such adverse events have been reported in cancer patients receiving systemic administration of a pan-VEGF inhibitor, with a greater incidence in patients over 65 years of age.
“The two-year systemic safety of Macugen is particularly reassuring because wet AMD usually afflicts people over the age of 65, an age group already at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart disease and stroke,” said Professor Marcos Avila, Universidade Federal de Goias, Goias, Brazil.
A separate review of the data found no new eye-related safety concerns with continuous Macugen treatment for more than one year. These data were presented at the World Ophthalmology Congress in Sao Paolo, Brazil.
Macugen is the only VEGF inhibitor with reported two-year safety data in wet AMD, and the only VEGF inhibitor that specifically targets VEGF165, the isoform primarily responsible for promoting the blood vessel growth and leakage associated with wet AMD.