Abicipar pegol for wet age related macular degeneration


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Therapeutic Areas: Ophthalmology
Year: 2018

Abicipar pegol is an anti‐VEGF‐A therapy in clinical development for the treatment of wet age‐related macular degeneration. Wet age‐related macular degeneration is a chronic eye
disease characterised by the formation and proliferation of blood vessels in the centre of the retina (a layer of tissue in the back of the eye that senses light and sends images to the brain).
Wet age‐related macular degeneration is a leading cause of central sight loss and blindness. Current treatment options include anti‐VEGF‐A therapies which are the current standard of
care.
Abicipar pegol is a novel therapeutic approach that uses a new generation of genetically engineered proteins that exhibit highly specific and high‐affinity target protein binding. As
an anti‐VEGF‐A, it works by inhibiting the growth of immature blood vessels that grow in the retina, reducing the haemorrhaging and scarring that leads to vision impairment. Abicipar
pegol has the potential to require less frequent injections into the eye than the current standard of care, while providing equal improvements in vision. If licensed this could be an effective treatment option with greater compliance for patients with wet age‐related macular degeneration.