Reduced ellipsoid zone area seen with revakinagene taroretcel compared with sham procedure<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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MONDAY, Aug. 11, 2025 (HealthDay News) — For patients with macular telangiectasia type 2 (MacTel), revakinagene taroretcel (NT-501), an encapsulated cell therapy producing ciliary neurotrophic factor, results in reduced ellipsoid zone area (EZA) loss over 24 months compared with sham procedures, according to a study published in the August issue of NEJM Evidence<\/em>.<\/p>\n Emily Y. Chew, M.D., from the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues examined the efficacy and safety of NT-501 in MacTel in two identically designed phase 3, multicenter randomized controlled trials (NTMT-03-A and NTMT-03-B). The rate of change in EZA (photoreceptor) loss over 24 months was the primary end point.<\/p>\n The researchers found that the adjusted rates of change of EZA loss were 0.075 and 0.166 mm2<\/sup>\/24 months in the NT-501 and sham groups (58 and 57 participants), respectively, in NTMT-03-A, with a between-group difference of \u22120.091 mm2<\/sup>\/24 months. In NTMT-03-B, the rates of EZA loss were 0.111 and 0.160 mm2<\/sup>\/24 months in the NT-501 and sham groups (59 and 54 participants), respectively, for a difference of \u22120.049 mm2<\/sup>\/24 months. In the trials, changes in retinal sensitivity and reading speed were inconsistent between the groups. Overall, 17 and 14 percent of participants receiving NT-501 in the NTMT-03-A and NTMT-03-B trials, respectively, had miosis compared with none in the sham groups.<\/p>\n “The consistency in preserving retinal cells across both trials gives us confidence in the mechanism,” coauthor Martin Friedlander, M.D., Ph.D., from the Scripps Research Institute in San Diego, said in a statement. “As we refine how and when to treat MacTel, we expect even greater improvements in vision over time.”<\/p>\n One author disclosed ties to biopharmaceutical companies, including Neurotech, which is developing NT-501 and funded the study.<\/p>\n