Lucentis approved in S'pore

Lucentis, the most effective treatment for macular degeneration, has been approved for use in Singapore by the authorities.

While Lucentis has been used here before, its approval by the Health Science Authority (HSA) would allow greater ease by doctors to use it.

MDS adviser Au Eong Kah Guan tells this blog that when a drug is not approved by HSA, it cannot be prescribed freely and permission has to be obtained for EACH patient to use the drug. "We call this "named patient basis". The doctor takes responsibility for using something not approved by HSA," he said.

He added that the drug company also cannot place advertisement about this drug even in scientific journals in Singapore and in theory, doctors should not be talking too much about the drug in the press. Now that it has been approved, doctors can prescribe it more freely without taking special permission for each patient, drug company can advertise and doctors can talk about this drug more freely in the press.