Novartis's brolucizumab, a.k.a. RTH258, was more effective in fighting one of the leading causes of vision loss with fewer shots than its competitors for patients who have neovascular ("wet") age-related macular degeneration (AMD), .
Late-stage data revealed that brolucizumab worked as well in patients over 65 with wet AMD as Regeneron's aflibercept (Eylea). RTH258 required a less frequent injection schedule with more than half of participants dosed every 12 weeks compared to aflibercept's 8-week rounds.
The Reuters report noted that the longer dosing interval could also give the novel drug an advantage over ranibizumab (Lucentis), another top-selling drug for wet AMD, which is typically given every 4 weeks. All three drugs target vascular endothelial growth factor, which drives neovascular activity.