Wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) impacts approximately 1.1 million people in the United States and is a leading cause of blindness in people aged 60 and older. Until now, patients suffering from wet AMD might require eye injections as frequently as every four weeks.

In a press release, Genentech announced approval of Susvimo, a new advancement in the treatment approach for wet age-related macular degeneration. Susvimo, previously called Port Delivery System with ranibizumab, is the first wet AMD treatment in 15 years to provide an alternative to standard-of-care eye injections that have been needed as often as once a month.

Iowa-based Wolfe Eye Clinic, which has a site in Fort Dodge, continues to be at the center of state-of-the-art research surrounding wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) treatments that would alleviate patients’ need for regular eye injections.

Physicians at Wolfe Eye Clinic implanted the first Susvimo in Iowa in March 2017 and went on to enroll several patients in the Ladder, Portal, and Archway trials which evaluated the safety and efficacy of the Susvimo implant. The clinic is Iowa’s only trial site for implant trials, which contributed to FDA approval for Susvimo.

“It’s exciting to see approval for Susvimo and continued innovation in treatment for our patients who suffer with wet AMD,” said Dr. Jared Nielsen, retina specialist and director of retinal clinical trials at Wolfe Eye Clinic. “While the current injection therapy is effective, the treatment burden for many of our patients and caregivers is too high.”

According to Genentech, by continuously delivering medicine into the eye through a refillable implant, Susvimo may help people with wet AMD maintain their vision with as few as two treatments per year.

Age-related macular degeneration is a condition that affects the macula, the part of the eye that provides sharp, central vision needed for activities like reading, and is a leading cause of blindness for people aged 60 and over in the United States. Wet, or neovascular, AMD is an advanced form of the disease that can cause rapid and severe vision loss.

Approximately 11 million people in the United States have some form of AMD, and of those, about 1.1 million have wet AMD.