Expanded use of Lucentis approved in EU

The European Commission has granted an additional indication for Lucentis(ranibizumab) to treat patients with visual impairment due to choroidal neovascularization (CNV) associated with causes other than neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), or secondary to pathologic myopia (PM).

According to Swiss pharma giant Novartis (NOVN: VX), which markets the drug in Europe and other non-US countries, with this approval, Lucentis the first retinal treatment approved for these conditions, addressing an important unmet medical need. In its current indications, Lucentis generated sales of $2.06 billion for the company in 2015.

"This confirms Lucentis as standard of care in diseases of the retina," said Paul Hudson, chief executive of Novartis Pharmaceuticals. "With this approval, Lucentis is the only treatment available for a wide range of CNV conditions. We are dedicated to bringing new innovations to the market, as we are aware that there is still high unmet medical need for patients with retinal diseases," he added.