BrightFocus Commends FDA Approval of New Macular Degeneration Treatment

Update: As of Oct. 24, 2022, this product is currently under voluntary recall due to a manufacturing problem with the device

The following statement was issued today by Stacy Pagos Haller, BrightFocus Foundation President and CEO:

Today’s approval of Susvimo by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is a watershed moment for all who are impacted by age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness among older adults.

For those with an advanced form of the disease known as wet AMD, today’s announcement will provide an alternative to the current standard of care, frequent eye injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF). With Susvimo this treatment will be done via a port delivery system, a grain of rice-sized device implanted in the eye which will require refills of anti-VEGF far less frequently than patients currently receive injections.

The anti-VEGF medicine delivered by Susvimo is rooted in key, early-stage research supported by the BrightFocus Macular Degeneration Research program, which provided pivotal funding to Peter Campochiaro, MD, at Johns Hopkins University for pioneering work leading to its use treating wet AMD.

We are living in a groundbreaking time for vision research, with the power of science blazing new pathways to better understand, treat, and prevent diseases such as AMD and glaucoma. I am looking forward to many more exciting breakthroughs to save sight.

For more information on Susvimo, please ask your doctor or contact Genentech at 833/EYE-GENE or www.Genentech-Access.com.

BrightFocus is a leading private funder of scientific research on macular degeneration, glaucoma, and Alzheimer’s disease. We are currently funding 52 research grants on macular degeneration, a $12 million global investment toward defeating the disease. BrightFocus provides a wide range of resources to help better manage your vision health, including the BrightFocus Chats, a free monthly teleconference on AMD. For more information visit BrightFocus.org or call 800/437-2423.