United Press International

　　Tuesday, December 21, 2004

　　ROCKVILLE, Md., Dec 20, 2004 (United Press International via COMTEX) —— The U.S. Food and Drug Administration Monday said it approved pegaptanib sodium injection, a therapy to slow vision loss caused by macular degeneration.

　　Pegaptanib sodium injection, or Macugen, slows vision loss in people with the eye disease neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration, known as AMD.

　　"Macugen is among the first treatments to target the underlying biology of wet age-related macular degeneration," said Dr. Lester M. Crawford, acting FDA commissioner. "Macugen provides a needed addition to the treatment of patients with this disease."

　　AMD, a retinal disease causing severe and irreversible vision loss, is a major cause of blindness in individuals older than 55 years. Untreated, the majority of eyes affected with wet AMD may become functionally blind.

　　Wet AMD, which makes up approximately 10 percent of AMD, is caused by growth of abnormal leaky blood vessels that eventually damage the area of the eye responsible for central vision, which is essential for most fine detail visual activities, including reading, driving and recognizing faces.