There is hope on the horizon for individuals suffering from macular degeneration after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a breakthrough drug aimed at slowing the progress of the disease.
Syfovre is the first and only drug approved for slowing the progression of geographic atrophy, a severe form of macular degeneration that affects a person’s central vision, CBS News reported. Macular degeneration is a leading cause of vision loss in older adults, occurring when aging damages part of the retina, according to the National Eye Institute.
The new drug is a “game changer” and the “beginning of a new … era” for patients suffering from vision loss attributed to geographic atrophy from macular degeneration, Dr. Eleonora Lad, an associate professor of ophthalmology at Duke University Medical Center who helped oversee a clinical study of Syfovre, told CBS News. (RELATED: NYU Researchers Say New Vaccine Cuts Risk Of Melanoma Recurrence By Almost Half)
Injections of Syfovre can slow the progression of the disease but it won’t reverse or cure it. https://t.co/PUYla1PLTe
— CBS Philadelphia (@CBSPhiladelphia) April 20, 2023
Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia was among the first medical facilities to use the drug as a treatment option for patients, many of whom had been told there were no treatment options available for their vision loss, CBS Philadelphia reported.
Sue Yohey, once an avid reader, could no longer read. “The center of my vision is gone – this is central vision loss,” Yohey told the outlet, explaining that she had been diagnosed with geographic atrophy seven years ago.”I was told there’s no treatment, there’s no cure,” Yohey continued.
Yohey took part in the clinical trial at Wills Eye and found that while Syfovre cannot cure or reverse the effects of macular degeneration, it can slow its progress, which for Yohey is “huge news.” (RELATED: US And UK Scientists Win Million-Dollar Prize For Gene Therapy To Cure Childhood Blindness)
“It’s a big deal for us because we went from not having anything to finally having something and that is a monumental achievement in our profession,” Dr. Sunir Garg of Wills Eye told CBS Philadelphia.
Syfovre works by reducing the inflammation that causes the damage to the retina, Garg explained. “As time goes on we can help them better protect their vision for a longer period of time,” he continued.