Roche eye drug could treat diabetes retinopathy

The Roche eye drug Lucentis could work better than laser treatment to treat a common cause of blindness amongst people with diabetes, according to the US National Eye Institute. Using the drug alongside laser treatment was found to be particularly effective, according to the Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Research Network.
Lucentis, which is known generically as Ranibizumab, is an engineered immune system particle that targets the blood vessels in the eye. The drug is already approved to treat macular degeneratio, but the potential could exist to treat millions of people suffering from diabetic eye complications .
The research team found that Lucentis was extremely effective, according to a report in the journal Ophthalmology. They reportedly commented: “After one year, nearly 50 percent of eyes treated with ranibizumab and prompt or deferred laser treatment showed a substantial visual improvement.”