title: Drugs in Phase II clinical trials for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The clinical development of anti-VEGF therapies for the treatment of exudative age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD) has revolutionized ophthalmology. Indeed, it has provided clinicians and patients with treatments that lessen visual loss from in a disease that once was uniformly blinding. Although blindness is yet to be eradicated from AMD, repeated intraocular anti-VEGF injections are required to preserve a patient's vision. Therefore, further advances in this field are necessary.
  
  
  METHODS
  This review provides an overview of the agents that are in mid-stage phase trials for both exudative (wet AMD) and nonexudative macular degeneration (dry AMD). For wet AMD, new agents intend to enhance efficacy, develop alternative delivery such as eye drops, investigate alternate targets and construct sustained release strategies. For advanced dry AMD, the goal is to develop a strategy to slow or stop progressive loss of retinal tissue seen in geographic atrophy, the hallmark of advanced dry AMD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is important to develop better more sensitive biomarkers, validating different approvable clinical trial endpoints and stratifying patients on their genetic polymorphisms. These developments should help to progress the already rapidly developing field of macular degeneration therapy.
authors.affiliation: University of Central Florida, College of Medicine , 6850 Lake Nona Blvd. Orlando, FL 32827 , USA.
authors.forename: Michael John
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Tolentino
authors.forename: Abrahan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dennrick
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: John
authors.forename: Michael Steven
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Tolentino
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D017322:Clinical Trials, Phase II as Topic; D018450:Disease Progression; D015195:Drug Design; D006801:Humans; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D057135:Wet Macular Degeneration / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
keywords: VEGF; aflibrecept; age related macular degeneration; bevacizumab; complement; fovista; gene therapy; geographic atrophy; ranibizumab