Eylea approved for use in Japan

Tarrytown, NY-The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare has approved Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s aflibercept (Eylea) injection for the treatment of macular edema following central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO).

“We are pleased with the approval of (the injection) in Japan in the macular edema following CRVO indication, a significant cause of visual impairment in adults,” said George D. Yancopoulos, MD, PhD, chief scientific officer of Regeneron and president of Regeneron Laboratories. “This approval reflects our commitment-along with our partner, Bayer HealthCare-to bring (the treatment) to patients worldwide.”

Aflibercept was approved in the United States for the treatment of neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in November 2011 and for macular edema following CRVO in September 2012.

The injection has been approved by the European Union, Japan, Australia, and in several other countries for use in wet AMD as well. It has also been approved by the European Commission-and selected countries in Asia and Latin America-for the treatment of visual impairments due to macular edema following CRVO.

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