CHAPTER 14:Biologicals in Retinal Therapy

Biologics have revolutionised the treatment of many serious and chronic illnesses and have pushed traditional small-molecule drugs out of favour. The revolution began for retinal disease in 2006 when the United States Food and Drug Administration approved Lucentis (ranibizumab) for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration. The retinal biologics market is now the biggest market segment in ophthalmology and it keeps growing as newer biological agents come on line and acquire regulatory approvals for treating new disease indications. This chapter covers the current biologics in use for the treatment of retinal disease and the new biologics currently being trialed. There are many classes of biological agent; however, this chapter focuses on monoclonal antibodies and recombinant peptides in the treatment of retinal diseases that have either a common neovascular component or those that have a common inflammatory pathology.