Novartis brolucizumab (RTH258) demonstrates superiority versus aflibercept in key secondary endpoint measures of disease activity in nAMD, a leading cause of blindness

Novartis brolucizumab (RTH258) demonstrates superiority versus aflibercept in key secondary endpoint measures of disease activity in nAMD, a leading cause of blindness. Brolucizumab, the first and only anti-VEGF to maintain a majority of patients on a 12-week treatment schedule immediately following loading phase in Phase III trials, met primary endpoint of non-inferiority vs aflibercept -   Significantly fewer brolucizumab patients showed signs of disease activity as well as retinal fluid (IRF and/or SRF)-key markers used by physicians to determine injection frequency in clinical practice -   Brolucizumab delivered superior reductions in retinal thickness (CST) due to fluid accumulation versus aflibercept -   Overall ocular and non-ocular adverse event rates for brolucizumab were comparable to aflibercept in both studies The digital press release with multimedia content can be accessed here: Novartis, a global leader in ophthalmology, announced further positive results from two Phase III studies of brolucizumab versus aflibercept. Results showed non-inferiority in primary endpoint, superiority in key retinal health outcomes, and long-lasting effect in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), a leading cause of blindness. The results of the head-to-head trials, HAWK and HARRIER, were presented at the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) 2017 Annual Meeting. In neovascular AMD, abnormal blood vessels leak fluid into the eye, ultimately causing damage and blindness.