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Pegaptanib sodium

Abstract

In December 2004, pegaptanib sodium (Macugen; Eyetech/Pfizer), which targets vascular endothelial growth factor, was approved by the US FDA for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration. As well as being the first anti-angiogenic agent to be approved for this common eye disorder, it is also the first approved therapeutic based on an RNA structure known as an aptamer.

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Figure 1: Neovascular age-related macular degeneration and pegaptanib.

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Correspondence to Stuart L. Fine or Peter Kirkpatrick.

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Fine, S., Martin, D. & Kirkpatrick, P. Pegaptanib sodium. Nat Rev Drug Discov 4, 187–188 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd1677

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