Ranibizumab (Lucentis) specifically is a VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) inhibitor. It is recommended for treating:
Neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
Macular edema following retinal vein occlusion (RVO)
Diabetic macular edema (DME)
Diabetic retinopathy (DR)
Myopic choroidal neovascularization (mCNV)
This drug shouldn't be used by women who could become pregnant. Also, women should use an effective contraception while on the treatment and for at least three further months after the last injection of Lucentis.
Lucentis should be avoided during breastfeeding, as the drug may pass into the human milk.
Lucentis should be administered as a single injection into your eye by your eye specialist doctor under a local anaesthetic.
The usual dose of lucentis injection is 0.05 ml (containing 0.5 mg of active substance). The interval between a couple of doses injected into the same eye should be at least 4 weeks. All injections should be administered by an eye doctor.
The adverse reactions associated with the administration of this drug are either due to the medication itself or the injection procedure and mostly affect the eye. If you get any sudden and unwanted adverse reactions, please talk to your doctor.
The use of lucentis is not recommended if you have an infection in or around the eye or are allergic to this drug or any of its ingredients.
LUCENTIS should be refrigerated at 2-8°C (36-46°F). Do not freeze. The vials of lucentis 10 mg, 6 mg should be protected from light. It should be stored in the original carton until the time of use.
In India, the lucentis price is around INR 70,160 for a single shot. Apart from this the number of treatments may be required, particularly for treating DME (diabetic macular oedema).
