What is Visudyne therapy?
Visudyne therapy involves the use of a light-activated compound called verteporfin combined with a non-thermal laser to produce a therapeutic effect. QLT PhotoTherapeutics and CIBA Vision, the eye care unit of Novartis AG, are conducting research to investigate Visudyne therapy as a potential treatment for the more severe “wet” form of age-related macular degeneration.
In April 2000, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Visudyne therapy, the first drug treatment for a certain form of wet AMD. This form of the disease is called predominantly classic wet AMD. Visudyne therapy is a form of photodynamic therapy. It brings together a light-activated drug (Visudyne) and the use of a low-energy laser. The laser activates the drug in a targeted area of the eye. This produces a reaction that destroys abnormal, leaky blood vessels.
