Macugen use safe for three years

World drug giant Pfizer says that the long-term safety profile of Macugen (pegaptanib sodium injection) can be maintained through a third year of treatment, according to new data presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, held in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Year-three results from the VISION trial (VEGF Inhibition Study in Ocular Neovascularization) found no evidence or suggestion of systemic toxicity and no increased risk of hypertension, stroke, myocardial infarction, thromboembolic or serious hemorrhagic events with Macugen treatment. Mild-to-moderate transient adverse events were reported, mainly attributable to the injection procedure, Pfizer noted.

Macugen is indicated for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration, an eye disease that destroys central vision and is the leading cause of blindness in people aged over 50 in the western world.