Injectable Combination Therapy for Eye Disorders

Abstract

The present invention provides composition, methods, and articles of manufacture for treating an eye disorder, e.g., a disorder characterized by macular degeneration, choroidal neovascularization, or retinal neovascularization. One method of the invention comprises the step of: administering first and second therapeutic agents to the subject's eye in a single procedure, wherein the first therapeutic agent provides rapid improvement in the condition of the subject's eye and the second therapeutic agent is administered as a sustained release formulation of the second therapeutic agent. For example, the first and second therapeutic agents are administered by intravitreal injection. The first therapeutic agent may be dissolved in a liquid medium located in the syringe and the sustained formulation of the second therapeutic agent may comprise an ocular implant or plurality of particles located in the needle. The therapeutic agents may be selected from the group consisting of angiogenesis inhibitors and complement inhibitors.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 760,974, filed Jan. 19, 2006, and U.S. Ser. No. 11 / 544,389, filed Oct. 6, 2006, both of which are incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Macular degeneration is a term that refers to and describes a number of different diseases characterized by degenerative changes in the macula, all of which lead to a loss of central vision. The macula is a small area in the retina of the eye, approximately 3 to 5 millimeters in size, adjacent to the optic nerve. It is the most sensitive area of the retina and contains the fovea, a depressed region that allows for high visual acuity and contains a dense concentration of cones, the photoreceptors that are responsible for color vision. Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) is the most common cause of functional blindness in developed countries for those over 50 years of age. The ...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Central vision deteriorates when cells in the RPE cease to function properly.

Despite extensive investigation, the pathogenesis of ARMD is not fully understood.

Patients with this form experience a slow and progressive deterioration in central vision.

This can be responsible for sudden and disabling vision loss.

Much of the vision loss that patients experience is due to such choroidal neovascularization (CNV) and its complications.

The existence of macular drusen is a strong risk factor for development of both wet and dry forms of ARMD.

Photodynamic therapy involves systemic intravenous administration of a light-sensitive dye (verteporfin) which is activated in the eye by a laser, resulting in formation of toxic products within the abnormal blood vessels.

Unfortunately this procedure is associated with a significant risk of complications such as traumatic lens injury, retinal detachment, and endophalmitis associated with either trauma or intraocular infection.

For these and other reasons, current approaches to the use of angiogenesis inhibitors remain a less than optimal solution to treating wet ARMD.

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