Novartis has announced the launch of the Lucentis^® (ranibizumab) prefilled syringe (PFS) in Germany, with other markets to follow throughout 2014. The Lucentis PFS, which received European approval in October 2013, is a new way of administering Lucentis that is specifically designed for intraocular injection to enhance patient safety and convenience for the treating clinician.

The Lucentis PFS has been specifically designed to reduce the risk of adverse events to patients and to enhance the treatment process in the clinic. This new injection technology offers the potential for improved safety for patients through a reduction in non-sterile preparatory steps and the inclusion of more safety features, such as a non-retractable plunger. Moreover, greater dose accuracy is possible through design features such as a smaller syringe barrel.

Lucentis is licensed in more than 100 countries for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD), visual impairment due to diabetic macular edema (DME), and for visual impairment due to macular edema secondary to retinal vein occlusion (RVO), including both branch- and central-RVO. Also, Lucentis is licensed in 50 countries for the treatment of patients with visual impairment due to choroidal neovascularization (CNV) secondary to pathologic myopia (myopic CNV). In most countries, including those in Europe, Lucentis has an individualized treatment regimen with the goal of maximizing visual

Lucentis was developed by Genentech and Novartis. Genentech has the commercial rights to Lucentis in the United States. Novartis has exclusive rights in the rest of the world. Lucentis is a registered trademark of Genentech Inc.

Source: Novartis