Eylea approved for myopic CNV patients

The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended the use of Eylea® on adults for treating visual impairment due to myopic chorodial neovascularisation (CNV).

Pathological myopia, also known as severe near sightedness, affects 3% of the global population. Of this number, CNV occurs in an estimated 5–10% of patients. The long-term prognosis for CNV is poor, with statistics showing that 90% of patients, who do not receive treatment, reach the threshold for ‘legal blindness’ within five years of diagnosis.

Cathy Yelf, chief executive of the Macular Society, said: "We're pleased that NICE has recognised the importance of offering Eylea® to patients with myopic CNV in England. It was unacceptable that patients in England could not have a treatment that was routine in other parts of the UK." 

The Macular Society previously wrote to chief executives of NICE and NHS England, as well as to health secretary Jeremy Hunt, to highlight the inequality of eye care offered throughout the UK. 

Eylea® is already licensed in the UK for treating AMD, visual impairment due to macular oedema secondary to central retinal vein occlusion and visual impairment due to macular oedema secondary to branch retinal vein occlusion.