Roche ($RHHBY) now has another approval under its belt for eye drug Lucentis. And it's in a market it can call its own: Lucentis is the first U.S.-approved treatment for diabetic retinopathy (DR) in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME).
That's an edge Roche can now boast over Regeneron ($REGN) rival Eylea. While both meds have the regulatory green light to treat DME--which hits almost 750,000 U.S. patients, Roche notes--only the Swiss pharma can say its drug heals retinal damage in those patients. Together, DME and DR are a leading cause of blindness in U.S. adults under the age of 55.
