In medicine, there are frequent cases when drugs developed for the treatment of some diseases show good results in the treatment of others. This occurs as a result of numerous experiments before the drug reaches the consumer. This happened with a drug developed for the treatment of cancer tumors, called Avastin. In ophthalmology, the reviews and results of therapy made them think for what purpose and for what disease it is better to use the drug.
Avastin
Loss of vision is one of the saddest companions of human aging. Until recently, most of the processes inside the eye were rather difficult to control, but in recent years, discoveries have been made in ophthalmology that have prevented the development of eye-hazardous diseases in blindness.
For this purpose, drugs of various groups are used, for example, Avastin, an ophthalmology treatment tool for oncology, is used with great success. Patient reviews confirm the fact that the drug has a high degree of effectiveness. But in order to understand how effective it is, it is necessary to consider the mechanism of development of eye ailments.
The mechanism of the development of the disease
Loss of vision occurs as a result of pathological proliferation of blood capillaries. Emerging new vessels grow through the membrane, disrupting the structure of the eye. Moreover, the abundance of blood vessels provokes frequent hemorrhages, which can be felt by a person and affect the quality of vision. Damaged capillaries are scarred, and a large amount of connective tissue disrupts the nutrition process of the retina.
This point can be considered the starting point of visual impairment. It is important to note that vision with such a development of somatic pathology is not completely lost, since peripheral is usually preserved. Nevertheless, the quality of human life is significantly reduced.
Despite the fact that the picture of the disease looks extremely depressing, with timely diagnosis, the pathology can be stopped while maintaining vision. For this purpose, the drug Avastin is used in ophthalmology. Testimonials from patients and doctors confirm positive statistics.
How does the drug work?
Avastin is an antitumor drug; it has been used in oncology for many years and shows excellent results. The principle of its work is to block the process of tissue proliferation, pathological cell division. Therefore, by stopping the growth of new blood vessels, it eliminates the very cause of the disease.
For a long time there were doubts as to whether the oncological drug Avastin in ophthalmology could produce the necessary therapeutic effect. Reviews of scientists and doctors said that the molecular weight of its active substance is too high: it is approximately three times the mass of molecules of other drugs with a similar effect. Therefore, in theory, the drug can not overcome the layer of the retinal membrane, and therefore have a therapeutic effect.
But, according to studies, Avastin penetrates perfectly into all layers of the retina, reducing the rate of proliferation of blood capillaries. With timely diagnosis and treatment started, vision can be completely preserved.
Side effects
If we consider the drug "Avastin", instructions for use, reviews and analogues with a guide to use speak exclusively about the internal intake, which usually occurs in the treatment of cancer. Therefore, the drug has the following side effects:
- internal bleeding;
- hypertension;
- violations in the digestive tract;
- proteinuria;
- dermatitis;
- neuropathy;
- asthenia.
The list of side effects when using the drug during treatment is very wide, as well as when using any medicine for the treatment of oncology.
Ophthalmology Application
But in this case, the drug is not administered intravenously, but directly into the vitreous body. And secondly, the dosage is significantly different from that used in oncology. For example, about 500 mg of the drug is administered intravenously, while only 1.25 mg is injected into the eye.
Nevertheless, there is one side effect of taking Avastin: hemorrhage at the injection site, a burning sensation and associated tearing. No serious side effects were detected in either the studies or in practice.
Mode of application
A dosage of 1.25 mg is administered inside the vitreous body once a month, or three or four times. After that, you can evaluate the effect of therapy with Avastin in ophthalmology. Testimonials of patients show that immediately after the course, an increase in visual acuity is observed in 4 out of 10 subjects. In 6 out of 10 people, the course of treatment leads to stabilization of vision, that is, to a decrease in the rate of progression of capillary proliferation and scarring.
The effect is that the retina becomes thinner, that is, its permeability and nutrition of the eye tissue increase. Typically, the patient feels an increase in visual acuity immediately after the first injection, and subsequent injections only consolidate the effect. How often you need to repeat the injection depends on the anatomical features of the person. According to statistics, the next course of injections is performed after 2-3 months.
Contraindications
The drug is strictly not recommended for children, pregnant women and nursing mothers. Also, with great caution, Avastin should be used if there are violations of the liver and kidneys, in particular functional insufficiency of these organs.
But we must take into account the fact that these contraindications are valid only with intravenous administration, and when injected into the eye, they may not be relevant. In any case, the decision to prescribe the drug "Avastin" in ophthalmology, reviews of which can be obtained at any appropriate clinic, should be made by the attending physician.
However, it should be remembered that with the classic use of the drug, doctors are strongly advised to protect themselves in order to avoid an unwanted pregnancy. Using the drug as a tool for treating eyes, it is also worth considering this information when planning a family.
Analogs
All over the world, this method of preserving vision has been used for a very long time, but other drugs are used for this purpose, for example Macugen and Lucentis. But in recent years, more and more research has been conducted that suggests that Avastin is very effective in ophthalmology. But until there is information on the long-term effects of using the drug for treating the eyes, officially it will remain the drug for treating cancer tumors.
To date, the instruction sheet does not say anything about eye treatment. Therefore, the only source of information on the use of Avastin in ophthalmology is reviews. The price of the drug is quite loyal, which makes it more affordable compared to peers.
Under the term "analogue" is usually meant a drug that has a similar composition, the same active substance. There are no such drugs on the Russian pharmaceutical market, which can be ascertained by comparing the formulations, having studied the documents, which include the instructions for use attached to the Avastin preparation. Analogs, the price of which ranges from affordable to quite expensive, have a similar list of indications. But a similar mechanism of action occurs due to other components.
Such drugs that can be found in any pharmacy include:
- Arzerra
- "Acelbia."
- Vectibix.
- "Herceptin lyophilisate."
- Herceptin.
- Campas.
- MabThera.
- Peretyta.
- "Removab."
- "Rituximab."
- Erbitux.
Legality of application
Official medicine today does not recommend the use of Avastin in ophthalmology. Patient reviews are most often positive, but there is a significant degree of risk that you need to know about.
There is a contradiction associated with the Avastin drug: instructions for use in ophthalmology (reviews of representatives of science and other sources, too) do not allow the use of funds in the treatment of eyes. The manufacturer of the drug officially declares that neither the original nor the generic version of the drug “Bevacizumab”, manufactured in Russia, should be used in ophthalmology. Confirmation of this information can be found on the website of Roszdravnadzor.
But on certain resources, for example, on sites dedicated to ophthalmology, one can often find information that the drug is very effective for eye diseases. This is due to the fact that scientific studies regarding the use of this drug have been and are still being conducted, showing good results. However, before the complete safety of the drug is proved against the background of its high effectiveness, the relevant information will not be included in the instructions in the section “Indications for use”.
Use cases
In this regard, Avastin is used only in cases of emergency, when the alternative is complete loss of vision. During an experiment in one of the clinics in Russia, it was revealed that the Avastin injection did not lead to serious consequences, did not impair vision, and did not lead to blindness. But patients complained of tearing and burning in the eye area.
Thus, Avastin is a highly effective drug for the treatment of cancer tumors. The practice, according to which Avastin began to take up in ophthalmology, patients' reviews is mostly positive. But if it is possible to choose, it is necessary to resort to the use of only those drugs that are created specifically to solve a particular problem, especially on the pharmaceutical market there are already special tools that can reduce the progression of diabetic retinopathy, a wet form of macular degeneration.
Therefore, Avastin can be used only in the most extreme cases under the close supervision of a doctor.