FDA approves new indication for Genentech’s Lucentis

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new indication for Genentech’s Lucentis (ranibizumab injection). The drug has been approved to treat patients with myopic choroidal neovascularization, which is a complication of severe near-sightedness that can lead to blindness. 

 

“Myopic choroidal neovascularization often strikes adults in the prime of their lives, and can lead to severe vision loss or blindness,” Genentech chief medical officer and head of global product development Dr. Sandra Horning said. “With Lucentis, people with this condition now have a new FDA-approved treatment option that has been shown to provide a significant improvement in vision in a clinical study.”

 

Myopic CNV is estimated to affect some 41,000 people in the United States. This is the fifth approved indication for Lucentis.