Lucentis

Lucentis is a prescription medicine licensed for the treatment of wet macular degeneration, a serious eye condition that is associated with aging. The medication can help slow down or even reverse macular damage and vision loss. It is injected directly into the affected eye once a month. Side effects can include eye pain, specks in your vision, and blood spots in the whites of the eyes.

 

What Is Lucentis?

Lucentis® (ranibizumab) is a prescription medication used to treat age-related macular degeneration. Specifically, Lucentis is approved to treat one of the types of macular degeneration called "wet" macular degeneration.
 
(Click Lucentis Uses for more information, including possible off-label uses.)
 

Who Makes Lucentis?

Lucentis is made by Genentech, Inc.
 

How Does Lucentis Work?

Wet macular degeneration is caused by abnormal blood vessel growth in the back of the eye. The blood vessels grow behind the retina, underneath the macula (a part of the retina that is essential for detailed vision). These new blood vessels are not normal, and are weak and prone to leaking. Leaking causes damage to the macula, causing "wet" macular degeneration.
 
Lucentis is a part of an antibody that is designed to bind to and inhibit vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A). VEGF-A is a naturally occurring protein that encourages the growth of new blood vessels (including abnormal blood vessels in wet macular degeneration). By binding to VEGF-A, Lucentis prevents this protein from encouraging new blood vessel growth. This helps to slow down (or even reverse) vision loss and macular damage.
 

Effects of Lucentis

Several studies have evaluated Lucentis as a wet macular degeneration treatment. Some studies compared Lucentis injections to placebo injections (an injection without any active ingredient) or to a certain type of photodynamic therapy (PDT) commonly used to treat the condition.
 
Studies showed that Lucentis was significantly more effective than placebo injections or PDT. In fact, up to 40 percent of those receiving injections for a year had significant vision improvement, compared to just 5 percent for placebo and 6 percent for PDT.
 

When and How to Take Lucentis

General considerations for when and how to take Lucentis include the following:
 
  • The medication is injected into the eye on a monthly basis by your healthcare provider.
     
  • Your eye(s) will be cleansed to prevent infection and numbed before the injection. While you should feel no pain, you may feel a little pressure.
     
  • You should have someone drive you home after your injection, as your eye(s) will be dilated during the procedure (which temporarily affects your vision).
     
  • For the medication to work properly, it must be used as prescribed. Lucentis will not work if you stop taking it.
     

Dosing Information for Lucentis

The dose of Lucentis that your healthcare provider recommends will vary, depending on a number of factors, including:
 
  • How you respond to Lucentis
  • Other medications you may be taking
  • Other medical conditions you may have.
     
As is always the case, do not adjust your dose unless your healthcare provider specifically instructs you to do so.
 
(Click Lucentis Dosage for more information.)
 

Side Effects of Lucentis

As with any medicine, side effects are possible with Lucentis. However, not everyone who takes the drug will experience side effects. In fact, most people tolerate it quite well. If side effects do occur, in most cases, they are minor and either require no treatment or can easily be treated by you or your healthcare provider. Serious side effects are less common.
 
Common side effects of Lucentis include but are not limited to:
 
  • Redness or blood spots on the white part of the eye
  • Eye pain
  • Specks in your vision.
     
(Click Lucentis Side Effects to learn more, including potentially serious side effects that you should report immediately to your healthcare provider.)
 

Drug Interactions With Lucentis

Lucentis is unlikely to interact with most other medications (see Lucentis Drug Interactions).
 

Lucentis: What Should I Tell My Healthcare Provider?

You should talk with your healthcare provider prior to taking Lucentis if you have:
 
  • An infection in or around the eyes
  • Had a blood clot or stroke
  • Any allergies, including allergies to food, dyes, or preservatives.
     
Also, let your healthcare provider know if you are:
 
Make sure to tell your healthcare provider about all medicines you may be taking, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
 
(Click Lucentis Warnings and Precautions to learn more, including information on who should not take the drug.)
 

What If I Take an Overdose of Lucentis?

An overdose of Lucentis is unlikely, since it is injected by your healthcare provider and an entire vial of Lucentis contains just one dose.
 

What Should I Do If I Miss a Dose of Lucentis?

If you do not receive a Lucentis injection as scheduled, contact your healthcare provider as soon as is possible and convenient. The medication works best if it is taken on a monthly basis, and missing doses may decrease its effectiveness.
 

Strengths of Lucentis

Each vial of Lucentis contains 0.5 mg of the drug, just enough for one dose.
 

Is There a Generic Version of Lucentis?

Currently, there are no generic versions of Lucentis licensed for sale (see Generic Lucentis).
 
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;