A Cost-Benefit Analysis of VEGF-Inhibitor Therapy for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration in the United States

Factors Involved in Anti-VEGF Treatment Decisions for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Insights from Real-World Clinical Practice

Background

Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents are widely prescribed for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). Although studies have investigated patient choice of anti-VEGF agent, little is known regarding factors that influence physician preference of anti-VEGF agent for their patients.

Objective

To describe physician rationale and challenges in prescribing anti-VEGF treatments for patients with nAMD.

Methods

Data were drawn from the Adelphi Real World nAMD Disease Specific Programme™, a cross-sectional survey with retrospective data capture of physicians and their patients with nAMD in the United States between October 2021 and May 2022. Physicians (n = 56) reported data for up to 13 consecutively consulting patients (n = 451), including current anti-VEGF treatments used, factors affecting physicians' choice of anti-VEGF agent and treatment strategy, and restrictions on specific agents.

Results

Most physicians prefer employing a "treat-and-extend" treatment strategy, over "fixed interval" or "pro re nata" strategies. However, in routine clinical practice, "treat-and-extend" was reported for less than half of nAMD-diagnosed eyes. Top factors influencing physician choice of anti-VEGF agent and treatment strategy included maximizing clinical benefit (eg visual acuity gains and fluid control), patient convenience, and reducing out-of-pocket costs. However, physicians also reported facing substantial roadblocks in prescribing their choice of anti-VEGF agent, including restrictions on approved agents and gaps in insurance coverage. Persistent fluid was the most common physician-selected reason for switching a patient away from an anti-VEGF agent.

Conclusion

Physicians face barriers to prescribing their preferred anti-VEGF agents in real-world healthcare settings. Overcoming these challenges may improve treatment outcomes for patients with nAMD.

Cost-Utility Analysis of the Port Delivery System with Ranibizumab for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration

PURPOSE

To quantify the cost-utility ratio of the ranibizumab Port Delivery System (PDS; SUSVIMO) versus intravitreal ranibizumab injections for treating neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) based upon Archway Phase 3 Trial data.

DESIGN

Cost-utility analysis.

SUBJECTS

Archway Phase 3 Clinical Trial nAMD participants previously responsive to anti-VEGF therapy were randomized 3:2. Two hundred forty received PDS refills q 24 weeks and 162 received ranibizumab injections.

METHODS

Ophthalmic patient, time tradeoff utilities, direct medical and societal cost perspectives, 12-year, 1-year, and 5-year timelines, United States 2022 real dollars, and a 3% annual discount rate were employed. Utilities were adjusted for nAMD conversion in fellow eyes during the 12-year, mean participant life expectancy. Premature death associated with severe vision loss was integrated as per the population-based Salisbury Eye Evaluation Study.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) accruals, costs, and incremental and average cost-utility ratios in $/QALY (dollars expended per QALY gained).

RESULTS

Versus no therapy, the 1-year PDS QALY gain was 0.0156 (6.8%) versus 0.0063 (0.82%) for intravitreal injections (P < 0.001), whereas the respective 12-year QALY gains were 1.714 (28%) and 1.639 (26.8%) (P = 0.99). One-year direct PDS ophthalmic costs totaled $21 825 with 2 ranibizumab fills, whereas ranibizumab injection therapy totaled $18 405 with 11.8 injections. The 1-year incremental PDS $/QALY versus injections was cost effective at $75 497/QALY. Five-year PDS therapy was not incrementally cost effective at $304 108/QALY, nor was the 12-year therapy at $761 646/QALY. Average 12-year cost-utility ratios were $78 773/QALY for the PDS and $47 917/QALY for injection therapy. Adding -$476 442 12-year offsetting societal costs netted $314 521 to society per PDS participant versus $370 958 per participant for injection therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

Ranibizumab PDS therapy was not incrementally cost effective versus ranibizumab injection therapy at 12 or 5 years but was at 1 year. Injection therapy had a more favorable 12-year average cost-utility ratio. Vision gain was the major determinant of participant value gain and was the same for both interventions. Both interventions were highly cost effective utilizing average cost-utility analysis with the societal cost perspective.

FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE(S)

Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found in the Footnotes and Disclosures at the end of this article.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Age-Related Macular Degeneration in South Korea: Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

PURPOSE

To evaluate the prevalence and risk factors of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in the Korean population.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study based on the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2017-2020) data 13,737 participants aged ≥ 40 years with assessable fundus images were included. The prevalence and risk factors of AMD were evaluated. The prevalence of early AMD, geographic atrophy (GA), and neovascular AMD were also assessed. Logistic regression analyses were used to identify risk factors.

RESULTS

The prevalence (95% confidence interval [CI]) of AMD was 13.94% (13.15-14.72). The prevalence (95% CI) of early AMD, GA, and neovascular AMD was 13.07% (12.29-13.85), 0.26% (0.17-0.35), and 0.61% (0.47-0.75), respectively. The prevalence increased with age; it was 3.61%, 11.33%, 20.31%, 31.37%, and 33.98% in participants in their 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, and ≥ 80 years, respectively. In multivariate analysis, AMD was positively associated with older age (p < 0.001; odds ratio [OR], 1.08; 95% CI, 1.07-1.09), male sex (p = 0.014; OR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.05-1.53), and lower degree of education (p < 0.001; OR, 1.36 (for junior high school graduates); 95% CI, 1.12-1.65).

CONCLUSIONS

AMD was detected in approximately one-third of individuals aged ≥ 70 years, thus indicating that AMD is a common disease among older Koreans. Regular fundus examinations in populations with risk factors for AMD as well as education on methods to prevent or delay AMD progression, such as the Mediterranean diet, are necessary.

[Frequency and distribution of the active agent of intravitreal injections in German centers 2015-2021-An oregis study]

INTRODUCTION

Digitalization in medicine, especially the electronic documentation of patient data, is revolutionizing healthcare systems worldwide. The evaluation of real-world data collected under everyday conditions presents opportunities but also challenges. Electronic medical registries provide a means to compile extensive patient data for scientific inquiries. Oregis is the first nationwide digital registry for health services research established by the German Ophthalmological Society (DOG). Intravitreal operative medicinal injections (IVOM) are among the most frequently performed procedures in ophthalmology. Data on injection numbers and injection frequencies with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are already available from other countries, whereas data at a national level are not yet available in Germany due to the lack of a nationwide register. It is known that the treatment success of anti-VEGF IVOMs depends largely on the adherence to treatment and thus on the number of injections. There are also differences in cost. In the context of this study, real-world data on the frequency and distribution of intravitreal injections in German centers from 2015 to 2021 were compiled for the first time since the introduction of oregis. The aim of this study is to collect data on the use of anti-VEGF IVOMs in Germany from oregis for the first time and to show the development of injection numbers and anti-VEGF drugs used. At the same time, the possibilities of data retrieval from oregis are demonstrated using a concrete example from daily ophthalmological practice.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

An automated query of records was performed for all patients who received IVOM at oregis-affiliated healthcare facilities between 2015 and 2021. The number of treated patients and the use of anti-VEGF medications, including aflibercept, bevacizumab, brolucizumab, and ranibizumab, were determined. The data were collected in a pseudonymized and anonymized manner.

RESULTS

At the time of data collection, 9 German ophthalmological healthcare facilities were affiliated with oregis. In total, 309,152 patients were registered during the observation period, with 8474 receiving IVOMs. Over the observation period, the number of participating centers, patients, and intravitreal injections increased. The proportional share of anti-VEGF agents among the total number of injections varied during the observation period.

DISCUSSION

Real-world data captured in oregis offer significant potential for enhancing healthcare provision. Oregis enables the depiction of ophthalmological care conditions in Germany and contributes to research and quality assurance. The ability to query the presented data exemplifies the multitude of inquiries through which oregis can contribute to the representation of ophthalmological care in Germany.

Prevention Surpasses Treatment: 5-year Follow-Up, Cost-Utility, and Cost-Benefit of Zeaxanthin Therapy for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration

INTRODUCTION

Oral administration of zeaxanthin (Zx) 20 mg daily in patients with unilateral neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) treated with triple therapy (photodynamic therapy/intravitreal bevacizumab/intravitreal dexamethasone) reduced fellow-eye 2-year nAMD incidence from 23 to 6% (p = 0.02) in a prior clinical trial. We questioned the long-term benefit and thus analyzed case-control 5-year patient data of trial participants and additional participants with 5-year follow-up, also performing cost-utility and cost-benefit analyses.

METHODS

Consecutive, unilateral nAMD patient outcomes for those taking 20 mg Zx supplementation orally for ≥ 5 years were compared with the Comparison of AMD Treatments Trials (CATT) 5-year historical controls for fellow-eye nAMD conversion. Eleven-year mean life expectancy, cost-utility and cost-benefit models were undertaken employing a 3% discount rate and 2020 US real dollars.

RESULTS

Among 227 consecutive patients with nAMD/Zx-supplementation, 202 (90%) had 5-year follow-up. The fellow-eye nAMD 5-year conversion incidence using a Kaplan-Meier cumulative event estimate was 22% (49/227), versus 48% (167/348) with CATT control data (p < 0.0001). An 11-year cost-utility model with estimates for years 6-11 demonstrated a 0.42 (7.7%) QALY (quality-adjusted life-year) gain, including 3 months of life saved per patient due to decreased nAMD fellow-eye conversion. This yielded a direct ophthalmic medical cost perspective, incremental cost-utility ratio (CUR) of -$576/QALY and a societal cost perspective CUR of -$125,071/QALY. Zx supplementation for all 2020 US unilateral nAMD cases would have theoretically saved society, primarily patients, $6.0 billion over 11 years, a 1531% return on investment (ROI), or 31.3% annual ROI, on Zx costs.

CONCLUSIONS

Oral zeaxanthin supplementation for unilateral nAMD patients appears to decrease fellow-eye long-term incidence and is cost-effective and financially rewarding. It is dominant vs. no supplementation in patients presenting with unilateral nAMD.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT01527435.

Recent evidence of economic evaluation of artificial intelligence in ophthalmology

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Health economic evaluation (HEE) is essential for assessing value of health interventions, including artificial intelligence. Recent approaches, current challenges, and future directions of HEE of artificial intelligence in ophthalmology are reviewed.

RECENT FINDINGS

Majority of recent HEEs of artificial intelligence in ophthalmology were for diabetic retinopathy screening. Two models, one conducted in the rural USA (5-year period) and another in China (35-year period), found artificial intelligence to be more cost-effective than without screening for diabetic retinopathy. Two additional models, which compared artificial intelligence with human screeners in Brazil and Thailand for the lifetime of patients, found artificial intelligence to be more expensive from a healthcare system perspective. In the Thailand analysis, however, artificial intelligence was less expensive when opportunity loss from blindness was included. An artificial intelligence model for screening retinopathy of prematurity was cost-effective in the USA. A model for screening age-related macular degeneration in Japan and another for primary angle close in China did not find artificial intelligence to be cost-effective, compared with no screening. The costs of artificial intelligence varied widely in these models.

SUMMARY

Like other medical fields, there is limited evidence in assessing the value of artificial intelligence in ophthalmology and more appropriate HEE models are needed.

SYRINGE DESIGN AND FILLING TECHNIQUE AFFECT ACCURACY OF ANTI-VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH FACTOR INTRAVITREAL INJECTIONS

PURPOSE

To evaluate the effect of syringe design and filling technique on the accuracy of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor delivery.

METHODS

Volume output was measured with three syringe designs: a 1.0-mL slip-tip syringe, a 1.0-mL Luer-lock syringe, and a ranibizumab prefilled syringe-using two filling techniques ("upward" and "downward") and two fluids (water and bevacizumab). A total of 300 simulated injections were performed. Accuracy was determined by difference from the intended volume of 50 µ L and by mean absolute percentage error.

RESULTS

Volume outputs were significantly different between syringe designs, with mean values of 61.99 ± 4.18 µ L with the 1-mL slip-tip syringe, 57.43 ± 4.95 µ L with the Luer-lock 1-mL syringe, and 51.06 ± 4.74 µ L with the ranibizumab syringe, making the latter the most accurate syringe. There were 37 cases (12.3%) of underdosing below 50 µ L, the majority of which occurred with the ranibizumab syringe. The "downward" technique reduced the occurrence of air bubbles.

CONCLUSION

Intravitreal injections using 1.0-mL syringes are less accurate than using the ranibizumab prefilled syringe, which has a low-volume and low dead-space plunger design. The variability in volume output may result in less predictable treatment response, especially in cases of underdosing, which were more common with the ranibizumab syringe.

Controversies and Disparities in the Management of Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration is a leading cause of blindness in patients aged 50 years and older. Prior to the 21^st century, there were no effective treatments for this devastating disease. However, the last 20 years have heralded the development of treatments for both the nonexudative and exudative forms. The invention of AREDS vitamin supplements and anti-VEGF therapies forever changed the treatment of dry and wet age-related macular degeneration, respectively. The rapid adoption and expansion of these vision preserving treatments has created controversy regarding their cost, burden of administration, development, and use of new technologies, genetic considerations, and observed societal disparities. Many of these controversies and disparities persist today and will require further research to resolve.

Time and Distance Cost of Longer Acting Anti-VEGF Therapies for Macular Degeneration: Contributions to Drug Cost Comparisons

Purpose

To evaluate the holistic cost of longer acting anti-VEGF therapy for macular degeneration when considering the associated costs of travel to the retina clinic.

Design

Theoretical evaluation of cost using publicly available pricing data and reimbursements at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center.

Patients and Methods

Setting: VA Medical Center. Study population: Patients with age related macular degeneration. Main outcome measures: Three-year cost of therapy when considering medication as well as travel costs and time spent in transit.

Results

Based on cost data derived purely from wholesale acquisition cost and projected injection frequency over the first three years of treatment, faricimab is less expensive than ranibizumab and aflibercept by $37,709 and $6359, respectively. Aflibercept is less expensive ranibizumab by $31,350 over the first 3 years of treatment. When considering even small distances traveled by patients, these cost differences grow, amplified at even larger distances: at 25 miles, ranibizumab becomes $38,814 and $32,133 more expensive than faricimab and aflibercept, respectively. Aflibercept becomes $6681 more expensive than faricimab. At 100 miles, ranibizumab becomes $41,502 and $34,038 more expensive than faricimab and aflibercept, respectively. Aflibercept becomes $7464 more expensive than faricimab.

Conclusion

Longer acting anti-VEGF therapies may differ not only in their wholesale acquisition cost, but also in the frequency of per label injections and associated clinic visits. Taking into account distance and time cost of travel may contribute to a more holistic view of cost differences among these therapies.

Treatment of Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration: An Economic Cost-Risk Analysis of Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Agents

PURPOSE

To find the best cost-effective neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) treatment to improve vision while avoiding complications. The model is based on a cost-risk tradeoff analysis from policymakers' perspective.

DESIGN

A powerful and flexible simulation modeled outcomes of 2 years of treatment with the 4 commonly used anti-vascular endothelial growth factor drugs (bevacizumab, ranibizumab, aflibercept, and brolucizumab) across 3 injection protocols, building on prior findings that these drugs are noninferior. The model incorporates blinding complications, their management, and associated costs to society. Each option and several what-if scenarios were simulated 1,000 times with 100,000 hypothetical patients.

PARTICIPANTS

One hundred thousand simulated patients using data from published clinical trials.

METHOD

Case- and eye-specific cost-risk economic analysis.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Costs of nAMD treatment per patient and number of eyes that become blind as a result of treatment over 2 years.

RESULTS

Using published prices and fees, the injection protocol that follows published clinical studies, results showed that the mean±standard deviation cost per patient were $16,859 ± $3.65, $32,949 ± $3.27, $39,831 ± $3.80, and $53,056 ± $2.99 for bevacizumab, brolucizumab, aflibercept, and ranibizumab, respectively. The numbers±standard deviations of treated eyes that became blind were 108 ± 10.18, 694 ± 26.66, 168 ± 12.83, and 108 ± 10.52, respectively. We further provide a lower bound (when all patients are maximally extended) and upper bound (when no patient is extended) to these numbers. For brolucizumab, the upper bound is the 2-month interval injection protocol.

CONCLUSIONS

Taking a policymaking perspective, this study suggested that bevacizumab is the preferred first-line therapy. Recommendation for second-line therapy depends on the extent of the policymaker's risk aversion because of the tradeoff between cost and risk of blindness as a result of treatment. If risk neutral, the least expensive option (brolucizumab) is preferred. But if policymakers are moderately to highly risk averse, then aflibercept or ranibizumab are preferred. Because medical advances and different costs may change our findings, we provide a free application (https://eye-inj.shinyapps.io/calc/) for readers who wish to use different cost structures. Simulating outcomes is an innovative approach, unique in ophthalmology, and presents a significant opportunity because it can be adapted easily to different settings (using different costs, risks, and protocols) and to other diseases (e.g., diabetic macular edema), to ultimately improve wide-scale decision-making and use of funds.

Proportion of and Reason for Bevacizumab Usage in the Treatment of Wet Age-related Macular Degeneration

Purpose: To evaluate the proportion of bevacizumab and the reason for its usage in wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD).Methods: Retrospective analysis of medical records was performed for 1,541 patients who received ranibizumab, aflibercept, or bevacizumab injection to treat wet AMD. The proportion of bevacizumab among the entire set of injections was identified. The reason for selecting bevacizumab was additionally identified.Results: During the study period, a total of 2,929 anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) injections were performed; 2,236 (76.3%) were ranibizumab or aflibercept injections and 693 (23.7%) were bevacizumab injections. The most common reason for bevacizumab usage was ‘having a 0.1 or worse best-corrected visual acuity or being unable to assure reimbursement due to the development of extensive scarring or geographic atrophy’ (297 bevacizumab injections, 42.9%). The second most common reason was ‘the inability to assure reimbursement such as extrafoveal choroidal neovascularization (CNV) or early CNV without definite fluid in the foveal region’ (201 bevacizumab injections, 29.0%).Conclusions: Bevacizumab was used in 23.7% of the anti-VEGF injections to treat wet AMD. When analyzing patients’ treatment burden and financial impact, the results of the present study may provide useful information. Further multi-center studies are required to evaluate more precisely the usage of anti-VEGF drugs.