NeoVista, Inc. made public
yesterday 18-month data from the company's Phase II feasibility study
examining its novel epiretinal brachytherapy for treatment of the wet form
of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) at the 41st Scientific Meeting of
the Retina Society. The long-term data from the study, which was initiated
to test the safety and efficacy of their therapy when used in conjunction
with Avastin(R) (bevacizumab), showed a marked advancement in mean visual
acuity results at month 18, while only a limited number of patients
required additional injections of Avastin.
"We're very delighted with the latest data from our Phase II study, as
not only did the visual acuity improve in our patients over the long-term,
but very few patients received additional injections as well," said John N.
Hendrick, President and CEO of NeoVista. "The ultimate pledge of this
therapy continues to be demonstrated as the long-term data hold promise in
minimizing the treatment burden both for patients and physicians, not to
mention the overall financial burden for the healthcare system."
NeoVista's revolutionary therapy applies a targeted dose of beta
radiation to the leaking blood vessels that affect central vision;
concomitantly, two injections of an antivascular endothelial growth factor
(anti-VEGF) agent are delivered to maximize the acute therapeutic response.
Preliminary data show that NeoVista's targeted radiation therapy can be
safe for both the patient and the physician, and may be able to restore the
patient's vision. The current standard of care for wet AMD requires
persistent injections of anti-VEGF drugs for an indefinite period.
The ongoing multicenter feasibility study enrolled 34 trial
participants (with a mean age of 72 years) from June 2006 to April 2007 at
two centers in Brazil and one in Mexico. These patients, with predominantly
classic, minimally classic, or occult (with no classic) choroidal
neovascularization (CNV), received a single 24 Gy treatment of NeoVista's
epiretinal brachytherapy in combination with two intravitreal injections of
Avastin, one dose prior to or at the time of radiation delivery and another
one month later, depending on which arm of the trial the patient was
enrolled in. Additional therapy was delivered based upon the investigator's
evaluation of disease activity.
Analysis of 18-month follow-up on the first 25 trial participants to
reach that milestone shows a mean improvement in visual acuity of 10.7
letters using the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) test;
96 percent of patients lost 15 letters or fewer, 76 percent gained some
letters, 44 percent gained 15 or more letters, and 8 percent gained 30 or
more letters. Of particular interest, 68 percent of the patients in the
study did not require additional injections of Avastin throughout the
18-month period and the average number of additional injections within this
subset was only 2.4 injections by month 18.
Most of the limited number of adverse events were related to the
vitrectomy procedure (retinal tear, retinal detachment, subretinal
hemorrhage, and vitreous hemorrhage), rather than the epiretinal
brachytherapy. To date, no instances of radiation toxicity have been
reported by the Doheny reading center.
The data were presented at the Retina Society Meeting by Nelson R.
Sabates, MD, Professor and Chairman, Department of Ophthalmology,
University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) School of Medicine and the lead
investigator in NeoVista's ongoing Phase III study, CABERNET (CNV Secondary
to AMD Treated with BEta RadiatioN Epiretinal Therapy).
"The data released demonstrate that NeoVista's concomitant approach has
the potential to offer patients a less frequent treatment option that is
just as effective, if not more effective, than the current standard of
care," said Dr. Sabates. "It's highly encouraging to continually see
patient outcomes improving as the study progresses."
In contrast to other forms of radiation therapy for wet AMD, NeoVista's
approach delivers the peak dose of energy directly to the lesion without
damaging the normal retinal vasculature. Utilizing strontium 90, the
focused energy is delivered to a target area up to 3 mm in depth and up to
5.4 mm in diameter. Importantly for patients, the systemic exposure to
radiation is minimal, as the effective dose to the entire body from
NeoVista's epiretinal device is less than that from a typical chest x-ray.
With the continued promise of these Phase II trial results, NeoVista
continues to enroll patients in the company's pivotal trial, CABERNET.
CABERNET is a multicenter, randomized, controlled study that will enroll
450 subjects at 45 sites worldwide, evaluating the safety and efficacy of
NeoVista's epiretinal brachytherapy delivered concomitantly with the
FDA-approved anti-VEGF therapy Lucentis(R) (ranibizumab) versus Lucentis
alone.
"The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) welcomes the
results of the Phase II study for NeoVista's therapy, which may increase
the treatment options for people with wet AMD," said Barbara McLaughlan,
RNIB Campaigns Manager for Eye Health and Social Care. "It is our hope that
these results are confirmed in the Phase III trial that is now being
conducted as wet AMD is the leading cause of sight loss in the UK and
patients need a variety of choices of proven treatments to be available in
the National Health Service so they can choose the therapy that's best for
them."
About NeoVista, Inc.
NeoVista, Inc. is a privately held development-stage medical device
company based in Fremont, California. NeoVista's epiretinal beta radiation
therapy is currently being studied in a definitive Phase III clinical study
to support eventual filing for regulatory approval to market the product in
the United States. For more information about the company, the clinical
trial or this novel wet AMD therapy, please visit the company's Web site at
http://www.neovistainc.com.
NeoVista, Inc
http://www.neovistainc.com
View drug information on Avastin; Lucentis.
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