Bayer's High-Dose Eye Treatment Aflibercept Shows Positive Results in Advanced Trials

Investing.com -- Bayer (ETR:BAYGN) reported positive results from late-stage trials of the high-dose eye treatment aflibercept. The drug showed improvements in visual gains among individuals suffering from specific retinal diseases, leading to a rise in Bayer's shares.

Patients participating in the trial received 8 milligrams of the medication every eight weeks and experienced an increase in visual acuity after 36 weeks. The treatment resulted in a rapid and significant reduction in fluid accumulation in the retina for patients experiencing macular edema following retinal vein occlusion, Bayer stated.

Richard Gale, the clinical director at York Teaching Hospital (UK) involved in the trial, mentioned that the high-dose medication has the potential to become a new standard of care for treating exudative retinal diseases. According to Bayer, this represents a significant shift from the current standard of care, where the same drug is administered at a dose of 2 milligrams every four weeks.

Christian Rommel, Bayer's head of Research and Development, noted that this change would mean fewer injections while maintaining similar efficacy and safety for patients.

Bayer also remarked that the drug candidate was well-tolerated by patients and that its safety profile was consistent with previous clinical trials.

The 8-milligram dosage of aflibercept is being co-developed with the American pharmaceutical giant Regeneron and is known as Eylea HD. The drug has been approved in over 50 countries for the treatment of eye diseases such as neovascular age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema.