Archive for January, 2009
01.25.2009
Neural precursor cells derived from human embryonic stem cells, as seen from a microscope.
Whatever your religious beliefs or political positions, you can’t help but recognize it cannot be a coincidence that just three days into the new presidential administration, that the FDA just approved the first human trial of stem cell therapy.
The Geron Corporation, based in Menlo Park, California, reported in their news release that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FD) cleared the company’s Investigational New Drug application for the clinical trial of GRNOPC1 for the specific use in patients with subacute complete thoracic spinal cord injuries. Read the rest of this entry »
01.20.2009
As this season’s football teams celebrated their respective division championships with champagne, with corks flying around the room painting each others’ faces with the pressurized spray, I was motivated to warn my readers about avoiding a potentially devastating eye injury.
Just three months ago, I received a phone call from one of my office employees. Her brother-in-law had inadvertently gotten struck in his eye by a champagne cork and had lost vision. He was in upstate New York, a few hours away from my office. Because it was Sunday, all the local doctor offices were closed and he could only get treatment in an emergency room.
I ran through all the possibilities in my mind. Bleeding inside the eye (anterior chamber hyphema and vitreous hemorrhage), inflammation (uveitis), corneal abrasion, retinal detachment or tear, swollen retina (commotio retina and macular edema), traumatic glaucoma and even a ruptured globe. Read the rest of this entry »
01.13.2009
Poor Genentech. The company is making the news frequently these days. And it’s not about new drug discoveries or other scientific breakthroughs that is earning the company such press, but rumors of the company being bought out, as well as the controversy that just won’t go away – namely, the Lucentis versus Avastin argument.
In case you’ve been asleep regarding macular degeneration treatment for the past few years, here’s a brief recap…
Avastin is a chemotherapeutic drug that works against colon cancer by shrinking the new blood supply feeding the tumor. It does this by working as an antibody against vascular endothelial growth factor, also known as VEGF.
Responsibly, Genentech thought that a similar mechanism would work against the new blood vessels in wet macular degeneration, but if the drug were to be injected directly into the eye, it would have to be a smaller molecule to be able to pass through the delicate retinal tissues.
Unlike Macugen before it, Lucentis really reversed wet macular degeneration, and the United States Food and Drug Administration approved it for that purpose.
The problem? Genentech priced each injection at $2000 U.S. Dollars per dose, and many patients with wet macular degeneration were found to need injections every one to two months.
Read the rest of this entry »
01.01.2009
Welcome to the VisiVite Blog, featuring subjects about eye health and alternative treatments for macular degeneration and dry eye syndrome, in particular. My intention for the blog is to discuss the the latest eye health news, eye care research, and alternative eye treatment solutions. I also hope to keep you updated about vital information regarding Age-Related Macular Degeneration, new research and studies regarding your eye health.
As always, I am open to your suggestions on how to improve the blog and how to provide you with the information you need to keep your eyes healthy and your vision perfect. Also, please write sign up for our bi-monthly newsletter for the latest news and tips on eye health.
Here’s to a happy and healthy new year!
Dr. Paul Krawitz
