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Drug approved to treat HIV also helps macular edema and holds promise for Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, ALS and MS

People with diabetes are at risk for a condition called diabetic macular edema. Untreated, it will damage vision and lead to blindness. While monthly injections can prevent progression, they’re not pleasant.

UVA Professor of Ophthalmology Jayakrishna Ambati is leading research on a group of medications called inflammasomes,
UVA
UVA Professor of Ophthalmology Jayakrishna Ambati is leading research on a group of medications called inflammasomes,

“We put numbing medicines on the eye to reduce the pain, but it’s not painless. It does hurt," says UVA eye specialist Jayakrishna Ambati.

The treatment costs about $2,000 a shot. That’s why he’s excited to report another drug, already approved to treat HIV, has also proven effective for people with diabetic macular edema.

“Within four weeks, patients who got this drug improved ten letters on the eye chart. That’s more than two lines on the eye chart, which is as good or better than the best injection we have today.”

This drug – Lamivudine – can be taken orally and costs just $20 a month. But that’s not all. It belongs to a class of medications called inflammasomes which hold promise for treating many other diseases, including macular degeneration, Alzheimer’s, MS, ALS and Parkinson’s.

The drug does not yet have government approval for diabetic macular edema, so Ambati is enrolling patients in a larger clinical trial. He’s also started a company – Inflammasome Therapeutics – to study the use of these drugs in treating those other medical conditions.

For more information, e-mail ja9qr@Virginia.EDU

Sandy Hausman is Radio IQ's Charlottesville Bureau Chief