The Angiogenesis Foundation Convenes National AMD Expert Summit: Improving Long-Term Patient Outcomes

The meeting held in Boston, Massachusetts, discussed challenges and established recommendations for improving age-related macular degeneration (AMD) treatment outcomes in real-world settings

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, Sept. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Angiogenesis Foundation announced it brought together leading retina specialists, patients, caregivers and vision advocates in Boston, Massachusetts, to identify optimal strategies for improving long-term vision for people living with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD), also known as wet AMD. The event, held on 16 August, 2017, was co-chaired by Dr. Rishi P. Singh of Cleveland Clinic and Diana Saville, Chief Innovation Officer of the Angiogenesis Foundation.

Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in people over age 50. Today, wet AMD is highly treatable with groundbreaking medicines called anti-VEGF therapies; these include ranibizumab and aflibercept.

While anti-VEGF therapies have been revolutionary in the treatment of wet AMD, long-term study data is showing a disparity in patient outcomes. Without regular injections and close monitoring, patients in large follow-up studies are losing the vision gains they made in clinical trial settings.

"The Foundation has been working for more than a decade to improve patient outcomes for AMD," said Dr. William Li, President and Medical Director of the Angiogenesis Foundation. "As a community, we've made great progress with the vision-saving anti-VEGF therapies currently available for patients, but the real-world evidence clearly shows we need to do better and improve treatment strategies over the long term."

"In real-world practice, patients are losing the vision gains from their initial treatment because they are getting far fewer than the recommended number of injections over the long term," said Diana Saville. "This summit put vision stakeholders into rapid problem-solving mode and established practical recommendations that will make a real difference for patients."

During the summit, participants engaged in a substantive discussion about the current AMD treatment landscape and areas for improvement, including future therapies that may reduce treatment burden.

The summit findings will be synthesized and published as a white paper in early 2018. To learn more about age-related macular degeneration and how to protect one's vision, please visit the Angiogenesis Foundation's online AMD resource at scienceofamd.org.

Established in 1994, the Angiogenesis Foundations helps people lead healthier, longer lives through angiogenesis-based treatment and prevention. For more information, visit angio.org.