verteporfin
Visudyne · ATC code S01LA01
- Key facts
- Active substance
- verteporfin
- ATC code
- S01LA01
- Authorisation
- centrally authorised across the EU (EMA)
- Dosage forms
- Visudyne 15 mg powder for solution for infusion
- Marketing authorisation holder
- CHEPLAPHARM Arzneimittel GmbH
- Information as of
- 2026-10-28
Key facts
Verteporfin is a light-activated medicine for photodynamic therapy (PDT) of the eye. It is used for certain forms of choroidal neovascularisation, such as in wet age-related macular degeneration.
What it is used for
- Adults with exudative (wet) age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with predominantly classic subfoveal choroidal neovascularisation (CNV).
- Adults with subfoveal CNV secondary to pathological myopia.
Dosing
- Visudyne (powder for solution for infusion), adults including the elderly: two-step PDT – first a 10-minute intravenous infusion of 6 mg/m2 body surface area diluted in 30 ml, then light activation 15 minutes after the start of the infusion.
- Light activation uses a non-thermal red diode laser (689 nm); the required light dose of 50 J/cm2 takes 83 seconds at 600 mW/cm2.
- Re-evaluate every 3 months; with recurrent CNV leakage up to 4 treatments per year. If the second eye is treated, apply light no later than 20 minutes from the start of the infusion.
- Mild hepatic impairment: no adjustment; moderate hepatic impairment or biliary obstruction: consider carefully; severe hepatic impairment: contraindicated. Only by experienced ophthalmologists.
Contraindications
- Hypersensitivity to the active substance or to any of the excipients.
- Porphyria.
- Severe hepatic impairment.
Important warnings
- Photosensitivity for 48 hours after infusion: avoid direct sunlight and bright indoor light (e.g. tanning salons, halogen lighting, operating room lights); outdoors wear protective clothing and dark sunglasses, as UV sunscreens do not protect.
- Ambient indoor light is safe and helps eliminate the medicine through the skin; patients should not stay in the dark.
- After a severe decrease of vision (4 lines or more) within one week, do not re-treat until vision has recovered.
- Avoid extravasation at the infusion site; hypersensitivity and vasovagal reactions may occur.
Side effects
- Most frequent: injection site reactions (pain, oedema, inflammation, extravasation, rashes, haemorrhage, discolouration) and visual impairment (blurred vision, photopsia, reduced visual acuity, visual field defects).
- Common: infusion-related back and chest pain, hypersensitivity, syncope, headache, dizziness.
- Most adverse reactions were mild to moderate and transient.
Interactions
- Other photosensitising medicines (e.g. tetracyclines, sulphonamides, phenothiazines, thiazide diuretics, griseofulvin) could increase photosensitivity reactions.
- Calcium channel blockers, polymyxin B and radiation therapy might enhance uptake into the vascular endothelium.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
- Should not be used in pregnancy unless clearly necessary.
- Excreted in human milk in low amounts: do not give to nursing mothers, or interrupt breast-feeding for 48 hours.
Summary of the official product information, written with AI on 2026-10-29. Every number was checked automatically against the original text. Not reviewed by a physician – the full official text is authoritative.
Common questions – ask Medelix
For patients
Package leaflet, verbatim
This product has no separate US patient information.
Authorisation and brand names by country
Medicines with exactly this active-substance composition, as listed in the national registers – alphabetical and without ranking. Whether a product is currently available is not shown here.
EU – centrally authorised (all member states)
- VisudyneCHEPLAPHARM Arzneimittel GmbH · EMEA/H/C/000305
Source: European Medicines Agency (EMA), product information
Turkey
- VisudyneBMED İLAÇ DANIŞMANLIK SAĞLIK ÜRÜN VE HİZMETLERİ TİC. LTD. ŞTİ. · 1 register entry
Source: TİTCK – Ruhsatlı Beşeri Tıbbi Ürünler Listesi, as of 2026-10-16
Brand names in 3 more European countries
- Iceland
- Visudyne
- Liechtenstein
- Visudyne
- Norway
- Visudyne
EMA – Article 57 product data (EU/EEA), 2026-10-29
Medelix receives no money from pharmaceutical companies. Brand names are listed alphabetically and without ranking.
Other substances in the same group
Another question about this substance?
Medelix answers clinical questions from guidelines, studies and product information – every claim with its source.
Sources
- European Medicines Agency. Visudyne – EPAR, Product Information. 2026-10-28. https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/product-information/visudyne-epar-product-information_en.pdf
- TİTCK – Ruhsatlı Beşeri Tıbbi Ürünler Listesi, 2026-10-16. https://www.titck.gov.tr/dinamikmodul/85
Editorial: Medelix editorial team · last updated 2026-10-28 · How these pages are made · Report an error
Source: European Medicines Agency (EMA), product information. Not advertising, not a treatment recommendation. For questions about your own treatment, ask your doctor or pharmacist.