By Jenny Hope
A drug used to treat several cancers can also stave off sight loss in elderly people, claim researchers.
A new study shows Avastin is effective in treating wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), an eye disorder that leads to blindness.
Some doctors have been prescribing the drug for AMD even though it is not licensed for the condition, because it is cheaper than the current treatment called Lucentis. As a result the Government’s rationing body is to investigate whether it could provide better value for money for the NHS.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) has been asked by the Department of Health to look at whether Avastin would make a cheaper alternative to Lucentis.
In the latest study, specialists at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, coordinated research at three UK eye centres involving 131 patients aged around 81 years in 2006. Read more…
