Industry

VIDEO: 5-year pegcetacoplan data focus on fellow eyes

Healio Ophthalmology4h ago1 min read

In this video from the Macula Society meeting, Sunir J. Garg, MD, FACS, FASRS, of the retina service at Wills Eye Hospital, discusses 5-year fellow eye data on pegcetacoplan for geographic atrophy.“We found that if you use sham or projected sham, treatment with pegcetacoplan (Apellis) reduces disease progression by about 25% in the all-comer group,” Garg said. “That was even more significant if you look at patients who had baseline nonsubfoveal atrophy.”In addition, the fellow eye “almost mirrored sham precisely,” confirming that “two eyes and

Read full article on Healio Ophthalmology

AI Summary

Quick Take

Long-term five-year data on pegcetacoplan for geographic atrophy (GA) demonstrates a 25% reduction in disease progression across the all-comer patient group. The study highlights that efficacy is even more pronounced in patients with nonsubfoveal atrophy at baseline, while untreated fellow eyes mirrored sham results almost exactly.

Why It Matters

As the first complement inhibitor approved for GA, long-term data is essential for clinicians to justify the burden of chronic intravitreal injections. The finding that fellow eyes track precisely with sham groups is a critical validation of the study's control methodology and confirms that the drug's effect is localized rather than systemic. Furthermore, the heightened response in nonsubfoveal cases reinforces the clinical importance of early intervention to preserve central vision before the fovea is directly impacted.

Key Findings

Treatment with pegcetacoplan (Apellis) reduced geographic atrophy progression by approximately 25% in the all-comer patient population.
Patients with baseline nonsubfoveal atrophy experienced a more significant reduction in disease progression than the general study group.
Untreated fellow eyes mirrored the sham and projected sham groups almost precisely, indicating no contralateral treatment effect.
The five-year data provides evidence for the sustained efficacy of pegcetacoplan in slowing the expansion of GA lesions.

Study Snapshot

Design

Long-term follow-up analysis of pegcetacoplan clinical data

Population

Patients with geographic atrophy (GA) secondary to age-related macular degeneration

Practice Implications

Retina specialists should consider earlier initiation of pegcetacoplan for patients with nonsubfoveal GA, as these patients may see the most significant slowing of lesion growth. Because the fellow eye data confirms no systemic benefit, clinicians must continue to evaluate and treat each eye independently based on individual progression risk.

Who's Affected

Retina SpecialistsOphthalmologistsOptometristsGeriatric Eye Care Providers

Evidence StrengthStrong

AI-generated summary — always read the original source for full context

Discussion

No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.