Astellas and the Internet's Favorite Grandma, Barbara 'Babs' Costello, Partner to Encourage Others to Get Ahead of Geographic Atrophy (GA)

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Oct 23, 2025, 08:00 ET

Babs is sharing her family's history with progressive retinal disease

GA, the advanced form of dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), is a serious condition that may lead to irreversible vision loss¹

NORTHBROOK, Ill., Oct. 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Astellas Pharma US Inc. (TSE: 4503, Head of US Commercial: Michael Petroutsas, "Astellas"), maker of IZERVAY™ (avacincaptad pegol intravitreal solution), today announced a partnership with beloved grandmother and content creator, Barbara 'Babs' Costello (@BrunchWithBabs), to challenge the misconception that vision changes are simply a normal part of aging, while raising awareness about the signs, risk factors and treatment of geographic atrophy (GA), the advanced form of dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Babs understands how crucial it is to be proactive about eyesight given her family's history with severe vision loss due to a progressive retinal disease. Her late father had dry AMD, and her sister currently has the disease, which can advance to GA—a serious condition that causes retinal cell damage and leads to irreversible vision loss. Babs does not have GA and is not an IZERVAY patient.

The partnership aims to highlight the importance of regular eye exams to help get ahead and detect GA early, and to encourage those diagnosed with GA to discuss their treatment options, including IZERVAY, with their doctor.² IZERVAY is a prescription eye injection, used to treat GA secondary to dry age-related macular degeneration.³Don't take IZERVAY if you have an infection or active swelling in or around your eye. Please see additional Important Safety Information below.

Barbara 'Babs' Costello, Internet's Grandma
"Eye health is so important – and for many, getting older is seemingly connected with vision loss. That's why I'm so proud to partner with Astellas to raise awareness about GA since it can cause slight changes in vision—or even be unnoticeable—at first. Going for annual eye appointments and discussing any symptoms with your doctor right away is key. The sooner you are diagnosed and can talk to your doctor about possible treatment options, the better."⁴

Around 1.5 million people in the United States are impacted by GA, with an estimated 160,000 new cases diagnosed each year.¹ Although everyone's experience with the disease is different, it may start with no symptoms at all or subtle ones such as:

Difficulty seeing at night or recognizing faces
Blurring of words
Straight lines that look wavy or crooked^5,6

GA can affect anyone but is most common in people over the age of 55, and certain factors like smoking, cardiovascular disease, or family history can increase risk.^2,4

Jake Schumacher, U.S. Head of IZERVAY, Astellas Pharma
"We are excited to collaborate with Babs to spread the word about GA, a disease that can progress unpredictably and quickly. Unfortunately, once GA has caused vision loss, it cannot be restored, often limiting a patient's ability to complete routine tasks like reading or even recognizing the faces of family and friends. That's why we are pleased to support efforts that educate and empower individuals to get ahead of GA."

To learn more and hear Babs' story, visit IZERVAY.com or follow @IZERVAY on Instagram or Facebook.

IZERVAY can cause eye infection, retinal detachment, or increased risk of wet age-related macular degeneration. Please see additional Important Safety Information below.

About IZERVAY ™ (avacincaptad pegol intravitreal solution)

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION AND USE

What is the most important information I should know about IZERVAY?
Do NOT receive IZERVAY if you:

Have an infection in or around your eye
Have active swelling in or around your eye that may include pain and redness

IZERVAY can cause serious side effects:

Eye injections like the one for IZERVAY can cause an eye infection (endophthalmitis) or separation of layers of the retina (retinal detachment).
Call your healthcare provider right away if you have redness of the eye, eye pain, increased discomfort, worsening eye redness, blurred or decreased vision, an increased number of small specks floating in your vision, flashes of light, or increased sensitivity to light.
There is a risk of developing wet AMD with IZERVAY. You should report any symptoms (visual distortions such as straight lines seeming bent, deterioration in vision, dark spots, loss of central vision) to your healthcare provider to monitor.
IZERVAY may cause a temporary increase in eye pressure after the injection. Your healthcare provider will monitor this after each injection.

Before receiving IZERVAY tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions including if you:

Have a history of seeing flashes of light or small specks floating in your vision and if you have a sudden increase of size and number of these specks.
Have high pressure in the eye or if you have glaucoma.
Are pregnant or breastfeeding, think you may be pregnant, or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor for advice before taking this medicine.
Are taking any medications, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Tell your healthcare provider about any medicine you take.

What should I avoid while receiving IZERVAY?

Your vision may be impaired after receiving an eye injection or after an eye exam. Do not drive or use machinery until your vision has recovered sufficiently.

What are the most common side effects of IZERVAY?

Blood in the white of the eye
Increase in eye pressure
Blurred vision
Wet age-related macular degeneration

These are not all the possible side effects of IZERVAY. Tell your healthcare provider about any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

Call your healthcare provider for medical advice about side effects. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Please see full Prescribing Information for more information.

What is IZERVAY™?
IZERVAY (avacincaptad pegol intravitreal solution) is a prescription eye injection, used to treat geographic atrophy (GA), the advanced form of dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

About Geographic Atrophy
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the major cause of moderate and severe loss of central vision in aging adults, affecting both eyes in the majority of patients. The macula is a small area in the central portion of the retina responsible for central vision. As AMD progresses, the loss of retinal cells and the underlying blood vessels in the macula results in marked thinning and/or atrophy of retinal tissue. Geographic atrophy, associated with AMD, leads to further irreversible loss of vision in these patients.

About Astellas
Astellas is a global life sciences company committed to turning innovative science into VALUE for patients. We provide transformative therapies in disease areas that include oncology, ophthalmology, urology, immunology and women's health. Through our research and development programs, we are pioneering new healthcare solutions for diseases with high unmet medical need. Learn more at www.astellas.com.

Cautionary Notes
In this press release, statements made with respect to current plans, estimates, strategies and beliefs and other statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements about the future performance of Astellas. These statements are based on management's current assumptions and beliefs in light of the information currently available to it and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: (i) changes in general economic conditions and in laws and regulations, relating to pharmaceutical markets, (ii) currency exchange rate fluctuations, (iii) delays in new product launches, (iv) the inability of Astellas to market existing and new products effectively, (v) the inability of Astellas to continue to effectively research and develop products accepted by customers in highly competitive markets, and (vi) infringements of Astellas' intellectual property rights by third parties. Information about pharmaceutical products (including products currently in development) which is included in this press release is not intended to constitute an advertisement or medical advice.

References:

Jaffe GJ, et al. C5 inhibitor avacincaptad pegol for geographic atrophy due to age-related macular degeneration. Ophthalmology. 2021;128(4):576-586.
American Academy of Ophthalmology. Geographic Atrophy: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment. AAO.org. Published April 18, 2025. https://www.aao.org/eye-health/geographic-atrophy
IZERVAY; PI; 03/2025
Holz; Ophthalmology; 2014; 1079-1091. https://www.aaojournal.org/article/S0161-6420(13)01102-0/abstract
Age-Related Macular Degeneration - The American Society of Retina Specialists. www.asrs.org. https://www.asrs.org/patients/retinal-diseases/2/agerelated-macular-degeneration
Geographic Atrophy - EyeWiki. eyewiki.org. https://eyewiki.org/Geographic_Atrophy

SOURCE Astellas Pharma Inc.