Australia now has two treatments for geographic atrophy (GA) after the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approved a second medication.
It has given its consent to IZERVAY (avacincaptad pegol), from Astellas Pharma Australia.
That follows the approval of Syfovre earlier this year.
At the time, macular disease expert Professor Robyn Guymer said that was a “historic moment” and a “significant milestone” for GA sufferers in Australia.
More than 75,000 Australians are living with GA, an advanced form of AMD and leading cause of blindness worldwide.
It is a progressive and irreversible disease caused by the growth of lesions, which destroy the retinal cells responsible for vision.
The vision loss caused by GA can severely impair independence and quality of life.
In its latest approval, the TGA said: “IZERVAY is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with geographic atrophy (GA) secondary to age-eelated macular degeneration (AMD) with an intact fovea and when central vision is threatened by GA lesion growth”.
