New trial data confirms safety of Novartis drug Lucentis

A man walks past the logo of Swiss drugmaker Novartis AG in front of a plant in Basel October 25, 2011.

ZURICH (Reuters) - Switzterland's Novartis said on Wednesday new data for Lucentis demonstrated the long-term efficacy and safety of the drug and also showed its benefits in treating a new condition, which Novartis will seek approval for.

Novartis said the new data reinforced the safety profile of Lucentis, an important drug for the firm with annualized sales of more than $2 billion, in wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

It said data also showed Lucentis helped patients with visual impairment due to choroidal neovascularization (CNV) secondary to pathological myopia (PM).

"Novartis will submit for regulatory approval in this indication in the European Union in the third quarter of this year and in Japan by the end of 2012," it said in a statement.

(Reporting by Catherine Bosley)