New FDA-Approved Treatment For Macular Degeneration Offered At Hershey Medical Center

June 12, 2000
Hershey, Pa. -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved the agent verteporfin to treat exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This marks the first time drug therapy is available for people who suffer vision loss related to macular degeneration.

Verteporfin is used along with a non-thermal laser in a new treatment known as photodynamic therapy (PDT). "PDT is a revolutionary new treatment for people with the most severe form of age-related macular degeneration," says David Quillen, M.D., assistant professor of ophthalmology at Penn State's College of Medicine. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is characterized by degeneration of the macula, the area of the retina responsible for central vision. The condition is the leading cause of visual loss in people over age 65. People whose vision is affected by AMD often complain of difficulty with reading, distorted vision or gray spots in their central vision.

This new treatment may be used to treat exudative AMD, which is the most severe form of the condition. Exudative AMD is characterized by the growth of abnormal blood vessels under the retina. These abnormal blood vessels leak fluid and blood in the macula, causing blurred or distorted vision. Eventually scar tissue develops in the macula resulting in permanent loss of central vision.

Verteporfin, a photosensitive dye, is infused intravenously for ten minutes. The dye accumulates in the abnormal blood vessels in the macula. Then, the dye is activated by a non-thermal laser, which closes the blood vessels. Data from a clinical trial show the treatment benefits continued for several years.

"PDT offers an alternative over traditional laser therapy in that it selectively targets the abnormal blood vessels and spares the retina," says Quillen.

Photodynamic therapy with verteporfin is successful for a select group of patients. A fluorescein angiogram (injecting a dye in a vein to view the blood vessels in the macular region) determines whether a person is a candidate for PDT. Its use is limited to patients who have been diagnosed with exudative age-related macular degeneration in the past year and whose angiograms show a particular pattern of damage to the macula. More information about photodynamic therapy is available by calling (717) 531-6096.

Media may contact:
Marsha Elliott at (717) 531-4313 or M. Steven Bortner at (717) 531-8607