by Daniel Parker, RDPFS Contributor:
A clinical trial is currently recruiting participants to assess the efficacy of a drug called KUS121 in the treatment of central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO), when it is diagnosed within 3–48 hours after disease onset. CRAO is “an ophthalmologic emergency which leads to severe and permanent vision loss,” due to blockage of blood vessels leading to the eye. “There is no evidence-based therapy for CRAO.” Participants at one of the 24 study locations will be randomly assigned to one of three groups. One group will be treated with a high dose of the KUS121 drug, the second a low dose, and the third a “sham” treatment. “Participants will receive daily intravitreal (in the eye) injections of KUS 121 or sham, which mimics an injection, from Day 1 through Day 3. Primary efficacy endpoint (the initial goal) is the proportion of participants who gain 15 letters or more in BCVA (best corrected visual acuity) compared with the baseline.” As with most clinical trials, potential participants must meet several inclusion and exclusion criteria. The most important inclusion criteria are that the person is twenty years of age or older and can provide informed consent. Exclusion criteria include infected eyes, “uncontrolled intraocular pressure,” other abnormalities in the macula, and inflammation in the eye. Additional criteria, study locations, and further details about the procedure can be found on the U.S. Clinical Trials website. Patients interested in this opportunity or other trials are encouraged to speak with their ophthalmologist.
