Avastin Riskier than Lucentis in Eye Injections for Macular Degeneration

You, or a family member may be getting eye injections for macular degeneration or diabetes. The two drugs most commonly used in eye injections are Lucentis and Avastin. Lucentis is FDA approved and is expensive. Avastin is used "off-label" in the eye and is very cheap. Recent research in the Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology show that those treated with Avastin have a 12 times higher risk of developing severe inflammation in the eye when compared to patients who received Lucentis. This complication can lead to significant visual loss. Watch now to learn more about eye injections and this increased risk.

To view our animated whiteboard video that explains the heated health policy debate surrounding these two drugs, click: http://www.youtu.be/lWdN3kUlB0Q

Sanjay Sharma, Davin Johnson, Marwan Abouammoh, Simon Hollands, Ashley Brissette. Rate of serious adverse effects in a series of bevacizumab and ranibizumab injections. Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology - June 2012 (Vol. 47, Issue 3, Pages 275-279).

• #science_technology
• #avastin
• #lucentis
• #insidermedicine
• #amd
• #macular_degeneration
• #eye_health
• #diabetic_retinopathy
• #eye_injection
• #intravitreal_injection
• #adverse_events
• #ontario_health_policy
• #fda
• #health_canada
• #queens_university
• #hotel_dieu_hospital