[Pharmacological therapy for age-related macular degeneration. Current developments and perspectives]

Current therapeutic options for age-related macular degeneration are very limited and are, at best, only capable of slowing visual loss. Because of this an intensive search for prophylactic agents capable of inhibiting the progression of this disease from early into late forms, as well as for new therapeutic approaches has been undertaken. While neuroprotective substances are hoped to prevent cellular death in this disease process, multiple substances capable of inhibiting neovascularization, such as VEGF inhibitors, are in clinical trials. Inhibitors of matrix-metalloproteinases (MMP) and chemotherapeutic agents are also being clinically tested as novel therapies for AMD. Other targets include the inhibition of toxic compound formation in lipofuscin granules such as AZ-E. What follows is an overview of different substances and their stages of development in clinical trials.