Lucentis and Avastin could be compared

The efficacy of colon cancer drug Avastin (bevacizumab) in treating wet-AMD could be compared to wet-AMD drug Lucentis (ranibizumab) in a US government clinical study.

This is according to US reports in the same week that 'striking' new research, widely reported in the national media today, has confirmed Lucentis's success rate.

The US National Eye Institute has approved the trial in principle, subject to resolving how to pay for it, clinical director Frederick Ferris told Bloomberg.com this week.

Genentech, the biotechnology company that developed both drugs, has come under criticism from ophthalmologists for allegedly denying the legitimate wet-AMD use of the much cheaper Avastin, in favour of Lucentis, the drug it developed specifically for this purpose (News, June 23). Lucentis is reported to cost 100 times more than Avastin.