Avastin as effective as Lucentis in IVAN study

A major study has found Avastin is as effective as Lucentis in the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Findings from the much-anticipated IVAN study were reported at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, last Sunday (May 6).

The IVAN, or Inhibition of VEGF in Age-related Choroidal Neovascularisation, study was one of the largest ever carried out in the field of eye disease in the UK, trialling 610 people with wet AMD. Full results will be published in the journal Ophthalmology.

One-year findings showed no functional difference in the effects of both drugs and found their effects on preventing vision loss were similar.