An analysis of clinical trials showed that the much cheaper eye treatment drug, Avastin, showed similar side effects identified in its expensive counterpart, Lucentis.
Lucentis (ranibizumab) is an FDA-approved treatment for wet age-related macular degeneration and swelling of the retina caused by diabetes or blockage in the blood vessels. It is used as an injection to the eye and is administered by a doctor once a month for the first four months. Some of the identified side effects include eye pain or swelling around the eyes, sudden vision problems, discharge of bleeding to the eyes, light sensitivity, and severe headache.
Avantis (bevacizumab), on the other hand, is also FDA-approved, but only for treatment of the colon and other cancers. However, doctors have been using it as an off-label treatment for macular degeneration claiming that it is as effective as Lucentis.
To prove that Avantis can be a more affordable and equally effective eye treatment, non-profit organization Cochrane Collaboration looked at nine clinical trials. The researchers found that current policies encouraging the use of Lucentis over Avastin has no substantive basis. This study result contradicted a U.S. government-sponsored study in 2011 showing that Avastin was effective in curing wAMD-induced vision loss, but produced more serious side effects.
The new study claimed that Avastin has similar side effects as Lucentis, except for more incidences of gastrointestinal problems, Reuters reported. Study authors clarified that their findings are not yet final, and a more extensive review is needed to fully establish their findings.
"This review addresses a question of immense importance to health systems in many countries," said David Tovey, editor of The Cochrane Library, in a statement.
Avastin is a cheaper alternative and it costs only $50 per injection, compared to Lucentis that costs $2,000 per session, according to the Wall Street Journal. Roche, the pharmaceutical company that developed Lucentis, questioned the off-label treatment, which led to Italy and France passing a law to reimburse patients who were given off-label treatments.
Further details of the Cochrane study were published in the Sept. 15 issue of The Cochrane Library.
