Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, announced yesterday that two-year results from a pivotal Phase III trial (RISE) showed patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) who received Lucentis® (ranibizumab injection) experienced rapid and sustained improvement in vision compared to those who received a placebo (sham) injection. Improvement in vision was sustained for two years as demonstrated via eye chart reading scores at defined intervals.

There are presently no FDA-approved medicines to treat DME. However, Roche recently received approval from the European regulatory body to market Lucentis for the treatment of visual impairment due to DME.

Click here ^[1] to read Roche’s press release.