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Posted by: Florida Eye Microsurgical Institute in Worth Sharing...

APELLIS’ GEOGRAPHIC ATROPHY TREATMENT SLOWS RATE OF PROGRESSION OF DRY AMD

A Phase 2 study of Apellis Pharmaceuticals’ APL-2 for geographic atrophy (GA) in age related macular degeneration (FILLY STUDY) has been statistically proven to reduce the rate of progression of GA by 29% when administered monthly.

The drug APL-2 effects appear to increase in the second 6 months, slowing the rate of degeneration by 47% according to Dr. Katz, who was a principal investigator in this exciting study. APL-2 is a complement inhibitor that binds to c3 and c3b and blocks the pathways of complement activation. Dr. Katz has been a principal investigator in the only 2 clinical trials shown to decease the rate of progression of dry AMD. Both the drug Lampalizumab and APL-2 are complement inhibitors which implicates inflammation as one of the causes of dry AMD.

In addition, Florida Eye Microsurgical Institute (under the direction of Dr. Katz) has been chosen by Genentech as one of the few sites in the country to participate in in an expanded access program (EAP). This program provides access to Lampalizumab to eligible patients with geographic atrophy secondary to age related macular degeneration until it becomes commercially available in the United States.

This a treatment protocol and not a research protocol. ALL patients accepted will be treated with LAMPALIZUMAB administered monthly. Currently, there are no approved treatments for geographic atrophy. Dr. Katz and staff are currently accepting patients into this program.

Read the press release.