Hello. My name is Dr. David Chin Yee and I’m a retina specialist at Georgia Retina. And through it all, I’m a protector of my patients’ vision. I’ve always seen myself as a protector, especially for my patients with geographic atrophy. I grew up in Jamaica and when I was younger, I used to volunteer at a home for the blind. In that work—in seeing the impact vision loss had on the lives of those who are visually impaired—it made me want to do everything I could to help patients preserve their vision for longer.
We know that geographic atrophy is a devastating disease that, unfortunately, we don’t have a way to stop. But we do have tools that can help slow down the progression of GA by protecting healthy retina cells for longer. As retina specialists, why wouldn’t we want to use those tools? With GA treatment like IZERVAY, we’re providing a kind of guardrail to help patients potentially preserve their vision for longer.
I think it’s critical to start IZERVAY as soon as possible. To me, GA is like glaucoma. You don’t wait until the cup is .9. You start when it’s .5 to keep patients from falling off that cliff. I talk to my patients about the efficacy and safety data for IZERVAY. I make sure that they have no infection or active swelling in or around their eye. I also discuss the risks associated with an eye injection such as an infection or retinal detachment. I reassure them that IZERVAY has no warning for intraocular inflammation or retinal vasculitis, and that it has a low incidence of CNV. We can’t sit back and watch. I believe in the data, and I know that my patients want to preserve their vision for longer and maintain their current sight for as long as possible. So why not start treatment as soon as we identify the disease?
Proactively protecting healthy retinal cells for longer is essential. And I have found that patients appreciate this early management. They love feeling more involved and active in the treatment plan. It resonates with them if you are doing everything you can to make a difference.
Right now, working toward protecting healthy retinal cells for longer as soon as possible is our best option. The way I see it, my job is to provide my patients with the best potential visual outcome. Preserving and keeping the vision they have for a longer period of time is a win. When we slow GA progression and protect healthy retinal cells, what we are really doing is buying patients more time with their vision. When presented with available options, many of my patients think treatment is worth it—and so do I.
INDICATION
IZERVAY™ (avacincaptad pegol intravitreal solution) is indicated for the treatment of geographic atrophy (GA) secondary to age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
CONTRAINDICATIONS
IZERVAY is contraindicated in patients with ocular or periocular infections and in patients with active intraocular inflammation.
WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS
Endophthalmitis and Retinal Detachments
- Intravitreal injections, including those with IZERVAY, may be associated with endophthalmitis and retinal detachments. Proper aseptic injection technique must always be used when administering IZERVAY in order to minimize the risk of endophthalmitis. Patients should be instructed to report any symptoms suggestive of endophthalmitis or retinal detachment without delay and should be managed appropriately.
Neovascular AMD
- In clinical trials, use of IZERVAY was associated with increased rates of neovascular (wet) AMD or choroidal neovascularization (7% when administered monthly and 4% in the sham group) by Month 12. Over 24 months, the rate of neovascular (wet) AMD or choroidal neovascularization in the GATHER2 trial was 12% in the IZERVAY group and 9% in the sham group. Patients receiving IZERVAY should be monitored for signs of neovascular AMD.
Increase in Intraocular Pressure
- Transient increases in intraocular pressure (IOP) may occur after any intravitreal injection, including with IZERVAY. Perfusion of the optic nerve head should be monitored following the injection and managed appropriately.
ADVERSE REACTIONS
Most common adverse reactions (incidence ≥5%) reported in patients receiving IZERVAY were conjunctival hemorrhage, increased IOP, blurred vision, and neovascular age-related macular degeneration.
Please see full Prescribing Information on IZERVAYecp.com.
