Associated Press
Genentech Vision Study Data Are Positive
05.23.2005, 04:29 PM

Genentech Inc. said Monday that its experimental drug for a common
age-related eye disease maintained or improved vision in about 95
percent of patients participating in a late-stage study.

The company's shares were halted in after-hour trading ahead of the
company's release of the preliminary data.

The results for Genentech's Lucentis drug compare with a control group
where 62 percent of patients maintained or improved vision. The control
group was injected with an inactive substance. On average, the Lucentis
patients had a significant improvement in visual acuity, while the
control group had a decrease in that measure, the company said.

All patients in the Phase III trial suffered from wet, age-related
macular degeneration - a disorder that occurs when blood vessels start
to grow abnormally behind the retina, leading to obscured vision.

"These Lucentis data exceeded our expectations because they show, for
the first time in a Phase III trial, a statistically significant
improvement in vision for patients in a disease that has remained
chronic and progressive despite current treatment options," said Dr. Hal
Barron, the company's senior vice president of development and chief
medical officer.

Genentech and Novartis AG, which holds marketing rights to the drug
outside of North America, are conducting two additional Phase III
studies of Lucentis. The drug is designed to block a protein that
appears to be involved in the formation of blood vessels.