Novel method of treating macular degeneration: a patent evaluation (WO2018/107005)

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of central vision loss in developed countries. Effective therapy for AMD is currently limited to the treatment of the patient with intravitreal injections of anti-VEGF drugs.

Areas covered: A method for the management of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is claimed. It consists of the administration of pure botulinum-toxin or a serogroup of recombinant botulinum-toxins or their peptide fragments or neurotoxin associated with accessory proteins in extra-ocular regions of the eye. The toxin modifies the retinal pigment epithelium, maintaining its structure and function, and delaying the various stages of the macular degeneration.

Expert opinion: The botulinum-toxin (BT) is administrated as extra-ocular infusions avoiding the risk of direct intraocular injection and the complications associated with the patients. The possibility to administer BT with accessory proteins (hemagglutinin, monoclonal antibody (anti-VEGF)), makes the novel system interesting for developing combined approaches for AMD treatment. The use of BT (alone or conjugated to other agents) as a method for treating or preventing AMD requires necessarily a patient case report study, as well as the in vitro or in vivo data, for supporting all the claims of the present patent.

KEYWORDS:

• Age-related macular degeneration
• AMD cure
• botulinum toxin treatment
• extra-ocular administration

Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties. Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Reviewer disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

This paper was not funded.