The ongoing conflict over the use and cost of Lucentis (ranibizumab) and Avastin (bevacizumab), which is used for the treatment of wet age-related macular deterioration or AMD, has been intensified by the clinical trials conducted by Consultant Opthalmologists and statisticians in the UK.

After the reports were published, the ministers in the UK directed the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to evaluate the clinical and cost effectiveness of the much cheaper drug, Avastin. The lead author of the report was Adrian Tufall, from Moorfields Eye Hospital in London.

Avastin has been recommended as an alternative drug for treatment of wet AMD, which can work as a replacement for the much expensive Lucentis. The debate is that despite knowing the cost factor, Avastin is not being licensed for wet AMD treatment in the UK.

The proposed offer reflects the controversy of the price and value of Lucentis and Avastin in other markets, including the US. Avastin is used for wet AMD worldwide even after the efforts by Genentech for discouraging the use of the same.

The study observed 131 patients with wet age-related AMD, in three ophthalmology centers in the UK. The patients were given either Avastin injections or were kept at the standard care available.

It was then found that 32% of the Avastin injected people gained 15 or more letters from baseline visual acuity in the time period of 54-weeks, while in the standard care group 3% gained the same.