Evaluation of Oral Minocycline in the Treatment of Geographic Atrophy Associated With Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Summary

Background: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the main reason older people lose their vision. It affects the macula, the center of the retina needed for sharp, clear vision. Researchers want to see if an antibiotic can help people with an advanced form of AMD, Geographic Atrophy (GA). Objective: To see if minocycline is safe for people with GA and if it helps preserve their vision. Eligibility: People age 55 and older who have GA in at least one eye. Design: Participants will be screened with physical exam, medical history, blood tests, and eye exam. Participants will take minocycline. They will take 1 pill twice a day for at least 3 years. Participants will have a minimum of 11 study visits. (But they are not every 3 months.). At each visit, participants will have a medical history. They may have: Blood tests. Eye exam. Vision, eye pressure, and eye movements will be checked. The pupils may be dilated. The inside of the eyes may be photographed. Their thyroid gland felt while they swallow. Microperimetry. They will sit in front of a computer and press a button when they see a light on the screen. Fluorescein angiography. An intravenous line (IV) will be placed in an arm vein. A dye called fluorescein will be placed in the IV and travel through the veins to the blood vessels in the eyes. A camera will take pictures of the dye as it flows through the eye blood vessels.

Timeline

Start

2016-12-14

Primary completion

2022-09-28

Completion

2023-03-08

Publications

• Results Mukherjee S, Vance E, von der Emde L, Arunachalam T, De Silva T, Thavikulwat AT, Orndahl C, Nyaiburi C, Abraham M, Hammel K, Sadda SR, Chew EY, Pfau M, Wong WT, Jeffrey BG, Keenan TDL. Variation in Mesopic Retinal Sensitivity Relative to Distance from Geographic Atrophy in Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Ophthalmol Sci. 2025 Jul 8;5(6):100879. doi: 10.1016/j.xops.2025.100879. eCollection 2025 Nov-Dec.
• Results Keenan TDL, Bailey C, Abraham M, Orndahl C, Menezes S, Bellur S, Arunachalam T, Kangale-Whitney C, Srinivas S, Karamat A, Nittala M, Cunningham D, Jeffrey BG, Wiley HE, Thavikulwat AT, Sadda S, Cukras CA, Chew EY, Wong WT. Phase 2 Trial Evaluating Minocycline for Geographic Atrophy in Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Nonrandomized Controlled Trial. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2024 Apr 1;142(4):345-355. doi: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2024.0118.
• Results Mukherjee S, Arunachalam T, Duic C, Abraham M, Orndahl C, Menezes S, Agron E, Pfau M, de Silva T, Bailey C, Thavikulwat AT, Bellur S, Sadda SR, Chew EY, Jeffrey BG, Wong WT, Keenan TDL. Structure-Function Relationships in Geographic Atrophy Based on Mesopic Microperimetry, Fundus Autofluorescence, and Optical Coherence Tomography. Transl Vis Sci Technol. 2025 Feb 3;14(2):7. doi: 10.1167/tvst.14.2.7.
• Results Arunachalam T, Abraham M, Orndahl C, Menezes S, Mukherjee S, Duic C, Prasad M, Siddig F, Bellur S, Thavikulwat AT, Bailey C, Sadda SR, Wong WT, Chew EY, Jeffrey BG, Keenan TDL. Longitudinal Analysis of Mesopic Microperimetry in a Phase II Trial Evaluating Minocycline for Geographic Atrophy. Ophthalmol Sci. 2025 Apr 1;5(5):100783. doi: 10.1016/j.xops.2025.100783. eCollection 2025 Sep-Oct.

Drugs

Indications