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THE MAGNIFIER Issue #33, July 31, 2005
Newsletter from the Macular Degeneration Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 531313 Henderson, NV 89053
http://www.eyesight.org
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GENENTECH NEWS RELEASE
On May 23, 2005, Genentech, Inc announced that a Phase III clinical study of the investigational drug Lucentis met its primary efficacy endpoint of maintainig vision in patients with wet age-related macular degeneration.
Approximately 95 percent of patients maintained or improved vision (defined as a loss of less than 15 letters in visual acuity) at one year when treated with Lucentis injections compared to approximately 62 percent of those treated
in the control arm. Patients treated with Lucentis for 12 months had, on average, a significant improvement in visual acutiy compared to their visual acuity at study entry.
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Lucentis (Under Study) May Reverse Effects Of Eye Disorder
By Susan R. Miller * Palm Beach Post Staff Writer * Monday, July 18, 2005
"DELRAY BEACH - Marion Kleinfeld's life was rapidly growing dark. The
78-year-old Delray Beach grandmother was legally blind in her right eye and one morning awoke to discover she couldn't read the paper with her good eye. "It was a sudden thing, and so scary, a complete nightmare,"
Kleinfeld said.
Kleinfeld learned she was among an estimated 1.8 million Americans suffering from age-related macular degeneration. As baby boomers age, that number is projected to reach 2.9 million in the next 15
years. The leading cause of blindness in those 60 and older, macular degeneration blurs the sharp, central vision and affects the part of the eye needed to see fine detail.
Kleinfeld, however, got lucky. Her
doctors, Mark Michels and Adrian Lavina, retina specialists in Palm Beach County, are among a group of physicians nationwide testing Lucentis, a new drug developed by Genentech Inc., a publicly traded biotech company in San
Francisco. In early testing, the drug appears to reverse a form of the disease known as wet macular degeneration, which accounts for about 10 percent of all AMD. After she was diagnosed, Kleinfeld was added to the study.
Cigarette smoking, overexposure to ultraviolet light, and a diet high in fat are thought to contribute to the disease. In addition, women are more likely to develop it. The odds of developing the eye disorder go
up as a person ages. The rate is about 18 percent among those 70 to 74, but shoots up to 47 percent among those 85 and older.
After 20 treatments, Kleinfeld's vision improved so much that she now can crochet, read, sew and once
again sees the faces of her five grandchildren.
"It's so exciting because for the first time in a phase III clinical trial we are not measuring success by less loss of vision, but by improvement of vision," Michels
said. The eye is numbed and the drug is injected once a month for 24 months.
"When we started doing this, I thought there was no way these people would put up with having a needle in their eye every month,"
Michels said. "But some of these patients are doing extraordinarily well; I am sure they would do it every two weeks if that's what it took."
Kleinfeld agrees. "I am so grateful, who cares if it hurts a little," she said.
In May, Genentech announced that approximately 95 percent of 716 patients in clinical trials nationwide either maintained or had improved
vision using Lucentis.
In the clinical trial in which Kleinfeld is participating, patients either are given a dose of the drug Lucentis or treated with photodynamic therapy, which uses a low-energy laser. Photodynamic
therapy slows the progression of the disease, but has not been shown to stop or reverse it. The patient isn't told what they are getting.
Although Kleinfeld doesn't know if she is getting Lucentis, she suspects she is after
gaining improvement within weeks of starting treatment. "After the first month I started to see again," she said.
Last year, the FDA approved another drug, Macugen, to treat macular degeneration. Dr. Philip
Rosenfeld, associate professor of ophthalmology at the University of Miami's Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, has been testing Macugen and Lucentis. "Every drug we have been told about has been the next best thing for
treatment of macular degeneration. We need to get both drugs on the market so we can get them side by side," Rosenfeld said.
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GOLF TOURNAMENT HONORS FATHER
Lawrence Catanzaro
and his family have found a wonderful way to honor their father, Joe Catanzaro. On June 26, 2005 a golf tounament was held in New Britain Connecticut in Joe's honor. With the help of sponsors, participants, individual
family members, and friends, more than $2000 was contributed to "Research to Restore Vision" for one of the most prevalent age-related diseases, Macular Degeneration. We appreciate the effort and support of
the Catanzaro family for this successful fundraiser.
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GOLFING WITH BLIND PARTNER NOT THE ONLY LINK IN STRONG FRIENDSHIP.
www.newsday.com/news/local/wire
By William Kates, Associated Press Writer, June 6, 2005 Syracuse, New York:
Don Nash and Bob Augat are golfing buddies. The difference with this relationship is that Bob is legally blind. Humor is part of what makes their
friendship strong. Bob (84) says, "I'm keeping him in good shape because playing nine holes with me is like playing 18!" In response, Nash says, "I warn him, if he starts outscoring me, I'm going to quit
helping him!"
Before each shot, Nash helps Augat line up his club and the ball. He tells him how to adjust his stance, describes where the ball is, where the hole is, and how hard to swing. After each shot, Nash
tells Augat where the ball went and then walks him to it. Augat also tees the ball up in the fairway - a rule tweak that makes the game more playable and enjoyable. "He hits the ball about 90% of the time, Nash
says. "Sometimes, he'll whack it 200 yards. It's the chipping and putting that are difficult because it's hard for him to visualize the exact distance"
Stories like this bring encouragement and hope to many subscribers!
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CONTACTING MDF
To speak to a support representative directly, you may call
1-888-633-3937. If you reach our voice mail, please speak slowly and distinctly.
ORDERING BOOKS & TAPES
When purchasing items from Amazon.com, please remember to use the MDF search box located at
http://www.eyesight.org/Books/books.html . By simply originating your search from our website, Amazon rewards the Foundation with a small commission from each product you order. Thank you.
MAKING CONTRIBUTIONS:
Please make checks payable to Macular Degeneration Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 531313, Henderson, Nevada 89053, or you may use your credit card on our web site http://www.eyesight.org/Donations/donations.html . Your
contributions make our services available as a support system for macular degeneration patients in the following ways:
1. We provide toll-free lines for personal contact assistance.
2. We mail brochures and other printed materials upon request.
3. We support an award-winning web site that provides the latest up-to-date information.
4. We fund research proposal grants to provide therapies for both the wet
and dry form of AMD. Contributions marked "research" are used 100% for research.
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MDF was founded in 1992 by Edmund J. Aleksandrovich Ph.D (a victim of macular
degeneration). It provides MD patients and their families with the information necessary to understand the disease, the latest news concerning ways to cope with the disease, and supports the efforts of researchers to find a
cure.
Subscribers who wish to cancel their subscription or change their email address may visit: http://www.eyesight.org/Newsletter/newsletter.html .
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