MACUGEN is the first anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy
shown to help reduce the risk of vision loss in all neovascular age-related
macular degeneration (AMD). Finally, you can treat all 3 lesion subtypes
predominantly classic, minimally classic, and occult with no classic.1
Reference:
- Gragoudas ES, Adamis AP, Cunningham ET Jr, Feinsod M, Guyer DR, for the VEGF Inhibition Study in Ocular Neovascularization Clinical Trial Group. Pegaptanib for neovascular age-related macular degeneration. N Engl J Med. 2004;351:2805-2816.
MACUGEN is approved to treat wet age-related macular degeneration. It is available by prescription only.
Not all people respond the same to MACUGEN, so individual results may vary. The safety or efficacy of MACUGEN has not been proven beyond 2 years.
Important safety information
With MACUGEN, you may have some side effects, mostly in the eye and due to the injection procedure. The most common side effects are burning sensation, eye pain, redness, light sensitivity, vision loss, blurred vision, visual disturbances, high blood pressure, and cataract. For a complete list of side effects, please ask your doctor or see the prescribing information.
You should not receive MACUGEN if you have an infection in or around your eye or if you are hypersensitive (allergic) to pegaptanib sodium or any of the other ingredients.
A serious eye infection can sometimes develop after an injection into the eye. Signs of a serious infection may include eye pain, light sensitivity, and/or vision changes. Check with a retinal physician immediately if you experience any of these symptoms, so you can be treated early if an infection occurs.
Eye injections like those with MACUGEN can increase eye pressure. This is something you would not notice; however, your retinal physician may do some extra tests after your injection to make sure there are no complications.
In rare cases, allergic reactions have been known to occur. Tell your retinal physician about any known allergies.
Please follow your retinal physician's recommendations for your therapy. If you have any questions about MACUGEN, ask your retinal physician.