New therapies for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) is a leading cause of legal blindne ss in older adults. The visual loss caused by ARMD can be devastating and m any of the current treatment modalities are ineffective or only of moderate benefit in preventing the progression of the disease. Furthermore, few tre atment options are available to patients with more advanced cases of ARMD. This review highlights some aspects of our current understanding of ARMD an d discusses recent patent applications related to the treatment of this dis ease. In particular, agents that promote retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) c ell proliferation and compounds with anti-oxidant properties that may prove useful in the treatment of non-neovascular ARMD will be discussed. In addi tion, we review photodynamic therapy and anti-angiogenic compounds that sho w potential promise in the treatment of the neovascular form of ARMD.