The Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation issued a registration certificate to Generium for the drug Laxolan (ranibizumab), which is a biosimilar to Lucentis from the Swiss company Novartis. The drug is intended to treat age-related macular degeneration and certain other retinal diseases that are a common cause of vision loss. This was reported in the press service of Generium.
Age-related macular degeneration is a chronic, progressive, multifactorial disease that is the leading cause of central vision loss and visual disability among older adults. There are two forms of age-related macular degeneration: wet (the most dangerous) and dry.
The wet type of macular lesion progresses rapidly and is accompanied by rapid loss of vision due to abnormal formation of blood vessels under the retina in the macula area. New vessels have increased fragility and permeability, which leads to hemorrhages with the development of macular edema and damage to the retina. Treatment involves preventing the growth of pathological vessels in the retinal area and preventing complications.
“The appearance of a biosimilar of ranibizumab on the Russian market will increase the availability of expensive therapy for patients,” said Daniil Talyansky, General Director of Generium JSC. In the Russian Federation there are more than 320 thousand “core” patients, and worldwide, according to data for 2020, there are 196 million.