Novel method of treating macular degeneration: a patent evaluation (WO2018/107005)

Introduction: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of central vision loss in developed countries. Effective therapy for AMD is currently limited to the treatment of the patient with intravitreal injections of anti-VEGF drugs. Areas covered: A method for the management of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is claimed. It consists of the administration of pure botulinum-toxin or a serogroup of recombinant botulinum-toxins or their peptide fragments or neurotoxin associated with accessory proteins in extra-ocular regions of the eye. The toxin modifies the retinal pigment epithelium, maintaining its structure and function, and delaying the various stages of the macular degeneration. Expert opinion: The botulinum-toxin (BT) is administrated as extra-ocular infusions avoiding the risk of direct intraocular injection and the complications associated with the patients. The possibility to administer BT with accessory proteins (hemagglutinin, monoclonal antibody (anti-VEGF)), makes the novel system interesting for developing combined approaches for AMD treatment. The use of BT (alone or conjugated to other agents) as a method for treating or preventing AMD requires necessarily a patient case report study, as well as the in vitro or in vivo data, for supporting all the claims of the present patent.