Genentech has announced that the phase-III study of Bravo showed that Lucentis (ranibizumab injection) improved vision in patients with macular edema due to branch retinal vein occlusion.
Lucentis is designed to bind to and inhibit VEGF-A and the hyperpermeability of the vessels.
BRAVO evaluated the safety and efficacy of six monthly injections of Lucentis, compared to monthly sham injections. The two doses of Lucentis studied showed a statistically significant improvement in best-corrected visual acuity at six months, as compared to sham.
Hal Barron, Executive Vice President of Global Development and CMO at Genentech, said: RVO is a devastating disease and there are no FDA-approved medicines shown to improve vision for six months. We are excited that another pivotal study has demonstrated the important role Lucentis can play in improving vision in people with difficult-to-treat eye disease, and look forward to the results of CRUISE, a Phase III trial in central-RVO in the third quarter of this year.