(www.PreserveMacForte.com) Oraya Therapeutics has revealed that one of the patients who received treatment for the wet version of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with its Oraya Therapy has made ongoing progress, according to a recent press release.
The company said in the press release that the patient, British author Jonathan Gathorne-Hardy was treated for wet AMD as part of the INTREPID clinical trial. The company said in the press release that data shows that Gathorne-Hardy has, in excess of 24 months following treatment in his right eye, experienced substantial , sustained vision improvement without the need for followup treatment such as anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) injections. According to the press release, Gathorne-Hardy acknowledged that he has been on the receiving end of declining central vision in his left eye on the heels of traditional anti-VEGF treatments over the same time period.
The press release noted that the INTREPID trial happened to be the first sham-controlled, double-masked research project to look into the adequacy and safety of Oraya Therapy — a one-time radiation option — combined with anti-VEGF injections to treat wet AMD. High-level findings from the 24-month study were unveiled last September.
“These life-changing results for patients with wet AMD further underline the efficacy of Oraya Therapy, and are the real source of motivation behind all that we do,” said Oraya president and CEO Jim Taylor in a statement included in the press release. “With the ability to improve the vision of wet AMD patients with fewer injections – and in this case no injections at all –Oraya Therapy can offer a more convenient, effective and cost-effective treatment for this debilitating disease.”
According to the press release, 230 patients were part of the INTREPID research project studying the 20-minute, non-invasive treatment.
“The results of the INTREPID study which have been reported to date are encouraging for clinicians and for individuals with wet macular degeneration,” said Timothy L. Jackson, PhD, FRCOphth, King’s College Hospital, London, lead investigator for the trial, in a statement included in the press release. “The prospect of maintaining vision while needing fewer eye injections will appeal to any patient receiving anti-VEGF therapy, and for certain subsets in the trial there is the added advantage of an improved visual outcome.”