Clinical trials are an important part of AMD patient care, and allow for the rigorous scientific testing necessary to develop new and better therapies for AMD. Clinical trials research for new therapies for AMD is tightly regulated and controlled by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

In a clinical trial, new drugs and therapies are tested in a controlled, scientific way. In most cases, half of the patients receives an experimental therapy and the other half receives a placebo treatment. During the testing, neither the patient nor the doctor knows which therapy the patient has received. This is done to eliminate bias and subjectivity in the results.

Because most clinical trials require very specific AMD clinical findings to be present in study patients, many AMD patients are not eligible to participate in AMD clinical trials. Your physician can tell you if you fit the criteria to participate in an AMD clinical trial.

Ongoing AMD clinical trials at Duke

The following AMD clinical trials are currently being performed at Duke Eye Center.

Macugen

Macugen is in phase III FDA clinical trials for wet AMD. Macugen is a promising drug that is injected into the eye to help slow blood vessel development. For more information on Macugen please go to Eyetech Pharmaceuticals.

Rhu-Fab (Genentech Pharmaceuticals):

Rhu-Fab is in phase II FDA clinical trials for wet AMD. Rhu-Fab is a promising drug that is injected into the eye to help slow blood vessel development. For more information on Rhu-Fab please go to Genentech.

Macular Translocation Study:

This is an ongoing, open study to investigate a new surgical treatment for advanced age-related macular degeneration. This has been an open study since 1998. For more information please go to the Duke Center for Macular Diseases' Macular Translocation page.

Duke AMD Genetics Study:

This clinical study is investigating the genetic aspects of AMD. For more information on the Duke AMD Genetics Study, please go to: http://www.chg.duke.edu