Two studies to learn if avacincaptad pegol works and is safe in people with geographic atrophy: a plain language summary of the GATHER1 and GATHER 2 studies.

What is this summary about?: This is a summary of two publications. One publication is about the GATHER1 study, which was published in the journal Ophthalmology in 2021. The other publication is about the GATHER2 study, which was published in the journal The Lancet in 2023. Both studies included adult participants with geographic atrophy (GA). GA is an advanced form of dry age-related macular degeneration (dry AMD). The participants in both studies each received treatment in one of their eyes. In both studies, the researchers wanted to learn if avacincaptad pegol (ACP) could help to slow the worsening of the participants' GA over time.

What were the results?: In these studies, the researchers found that ACP helped to slow the growth of the GA area in the participants' eyes compared with a sham injection. Participants who received ACP had a similar ability to read differently sized letters on a chart 1 year after treatment compared with participants who received no ACP through a sham injection. In the GATHER1 study, none of the participants had serious medical problems in the eye that received the injection. In the GATHER2 study, 2 out of 225 participants (less than 1%) who received ACP had serious medical problems in the eye that received the injection. In the group who received the sham injection, 2 out of the 222 participants (less than 1%) had serious medical problems in the eye that received the sham injection.

What do the results mean?: ACP could be a treatment option for people with GA. The results from several studies are needed to decide which treatments work best and are safest. Other studies may provide new information or different results. Always talk to a doctor before making any treatment changes.