Outcome of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy for neovascular age-related macular degeneration in real-life setting

Efficacy and Safety of Biosimilar Ranibizumab (OPTIMAB®) versus Innovator Ranibizumab in Patients with Neovascular (Wet) Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Multicenter, Phase III Study

Objective

This study aimed to compare efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity of the biosimilar ranibizumab in comparison with the Innovator Ranibizumab in treatment-naive patients with neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration (nAMD or wAMD).

Materials and Methods

This comparative, double blind, multicentre, Phase III clinical study randomized eligible patients in a 3:1 ratio to receive either OPTIMAB® (Alkem Laboratories Ltd./ Enzene Biosciences Ltd.) or Innovator Ranibizumab. Intravitreal injections of Innovator Ranibizumab (0.5 mg in 0.05 mL) and OPTIMAB® (0.5 mg in 0.05 mL) were administered every four weeks for 12 weeks (three doses). Primary efficacy endpoints included loss of <15 letters from baseline, gain of ≥15 letters from baseline in visual acuity, mean change in best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) from baseline, and change in central subfoveal thickness (CSFT) from baseline at week 12. Safety was assessed through monitoring of adverse events (AEs) and serious adverse events (SAEs) throughout the study.

Results

Overall, of the 152 patients randomized, 141 (92.8%) patients (mean age, 66.6 ± 9.37 years) completed the study. Percentage of patients who lost < 15 letters in BCVA at week 12 from baseline was comparable in both the groups (100.0%, each). On secondary end point analysis, the two groups had comparable mean changes in BCVA (OPTIMAB®, 11.8 ± 9.18; innovator ranibizumab, 12.9 ± 10.29; P = 0.5509); proportion of patients who gained ≥ 15 letters in visual acuity (OPTIMAB®, 32.18%; innovator ranibizumab, 25.74%; P = 0.4785) and mean change in CSFT (OPTIMAB®, -76.6 ± 89.03; Innovator ranibizumab, -73.1 ± 92.23 μm; P = 0.8422) at week 12 as compared to baseline. OPTIMAB® and innovator ranibizumab demonstrated comparable safety over the 12-week treatment period and no patient expressed anti-ranibizumab antibody in either group patient.

Conclusion

Biosimilar ranibizumab (OPTIMAB®) was non-inferior to innovator ranibizumab in terms of efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity in the patients of nAMD.

Vision-Related Quality of Life among Patients with Different Types of Age-Related Macular Degeneration

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to assess the vision-related quality of life (VRQol) of patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and to evaluate VRQol according to different types of AMD.

METHODS

In this small-scale, single-center, prospective investigation, patients with AMD and subjects without any signs of macular disease were asked to complete the NEI-VFQ-39. A total of 159 subjects were included and grouped according to the type of AMD as follows: 40 patients with dry AMD in both eyes (DD), 40 patients with exudative AMD in one eye (DE), 41 patients with exudative AMD in both eyes (EE), and 38 subjects without any signs of macular disease, as a control group (CG).

RESULTS

The average age of the participants was 76 ± 7 years, and 44% were male. Most participants were retired (22.4%), and 75% of patients were initially diagnosed by their ophthalmologist. All the AMD groups had significantly worse overall VRQol than the CG. For general vision, near vision, mental health, and role difficulties, all the AMD groups had significantly lower scores than the CG. For distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, driving difficulties, dependency, and social functioning, only patients in the EE and DE groups had significantly worse scores than the CG. The type of retinal fluid in patients with exudative AMD had no effect on overall VRQol; however, we found that the presence of pigment epithelial detachment could be associated with more role difficulties, such as completing work or working long hours.

CONCLUSION

All types of AMD had a negative effect on vision-related quality of life. This effect was significantly more pronounced in patients with exudative AMD in at least one eye. However, the type of retinal fluid in patients with exudative AMD had no influence on their overall vision-related quality of life.

Glaucoma progression in patients receiving intravitreal anti‐VEGF treatment for neovascular age‐related macular degeneration

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to investigate how often glaucoma and neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) occur in the same patient and to evaluate whether glaucoma progression is faster in eyes treated with intravitreal anti-VEGF medications for nAMD.

METHODS

This single-centre retrospective real-world data (RWD) consists of medical records of 6314 glaucoma and 2166 nAMD patients treated in 2008-2017 in Tays Eye Centre, Finland. To study glaucoma progression, changes in visual fields (mean deviation [MD], dB/year), IOP (mmHg/year) and fundus photographs (progression, yes/no) were compared in glaucoma eyes with and without anti-VEGF treatment for nAMD and ≥1 year follow-up.

RESULTS

During the 10-year period, 147 patients with glaucoma received intravitreal anti-VEGF treatment for nAMD corresponding to 2% of glaucoma and 7% of nAMD patients. The mean change in MD was -0.70 dB/year (SD 1.8) vs. -0.27 dB/year (SD 1.7) (p = 0.027) in glaucoma eyes with (n = 37) and without (n = 4304) anti-VEGF injections, respectively. In patients with bilateral glaucoma and unilateral nAMD treated with anti-VEGF injections (n = 20), MD declined at -0.62 dB/year (SD 1.9) vs 0.33 dB/year (SD 1.5) (p = 0.654), and glaucoma progression was detected in 14/20 vs 10/20 (p = 0.219) fundus photographs in eyes with anti-VEGF treatment compared with their untreated fellow eyes.

CONCLUSION

nAMD and glaucoma were found co-existing in the same eye at rates that were similar to the age-corrected prevalence of the two diseases in the general population. Our results suggest that intravitreal anti-VEGF treatment for nAMD may accelerate glaucoma progression.

Patterns of treatment discontinuation in patients receiving anti-vascular endothelial growth factor for neovascular age-related macular degeneration

Purpose:

To report the reasons for treatment discontinuation within 5 years in patients receiving intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD).

Methods:

A retrospective case-notes review of patients commenced on anti-VEGF for nAMD who failed to complete 5 years of follow-up was undertaken. The reasons for treatment discontinuation, baseline age, baseline visual acuity (VA) in Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) letters, and the VA change at the last follow-up were recorded. Age-specific all-cause mortality was calculated for deceased patients.

Results:

Of the 1177 patients, 551 patients (46.8%) failed to complete the 5-year follow-up. The reasons for treatment discontinuation were death (251), early discharge due to stable disease (110), further treatment deemed futile (100), failure to attend (15), ill health (14), patient choice (7), and transfer of care (1). In 53 patients, no reason was documented. The mean baseline age of those who completed the 5-year follow-up (77.4 ± 7.8 years, 95% confidence interval (CI): 76.8–77.9) was significantly lower than those who discontinued the treatment for any reason (82 ± 7.7 years, 95% CI: 81.4–82.6) (P < 0.0001). Survival analysis showed that baseline VA was not a factor in treatment discontinuation; however, visual stability (±5 letters from baseline) was associated with treatment continuation. The age-specific all-cause mortality in deceased patients was lower than that in the general population.

Conclusion:

At 5 years, only 53% of patients remained in active care, and death was the most common reason for treatment discontinuation. Lower baseline age and VA stability during therapy were associated with treatment continuation.

A comprehensive model for measuring real-life cost-effectiveness in eyecare: automation in care and evaluation of system (aces-rwm™)

This paper describes a holistic, yet simple and comprehensible, ecosystem model to deal with multiple and complex challenges in eyecare. It aims at producing the best possible wellbeing and eyesight with the available resources. When targeting to improve the real-world cost-effectiveness, what gets done in everyday practice needs be measured routinely, efficiently and unselectively. Collection of all real-world data of all patients will enable evaluation and comparison of eyecare systems and departments between themselves nationally and internationally. The concept advocates a strategy to optimize real-life effectiveness, sustainability and outcomes of the service delivery in ophthalmology. The model consists of three components: (1) resource-governing principles (i.e., to deal with increasing demand and limited resources), (2) real-world monitoring (i.e., to collect structured real-world data utilizing automation and visualization of clinical parameters, health-related quality of life and costs), and (3) digital innovation strategy (i.e., to evaluate and benchmark real-world outcomes and cost-effectiveness). The core value and strength of the model lies in the consensus and collaboration of all Finnish university eye clinics to collect and evaluate the uniformly structured real-world outcomes data. In addition to ophthalmology, the approach is adaptable to any medical discipline to efficiently generate real-world insights and resilience in health systems.

Antivascular endothelial growth factor agents for wet age-related macular degeneration: an IRIS registry analysis

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate treatment patterns and outcomes of patients in the United States who received antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

DESIGN

Retrospective study PARTICIPANTS: Patients with wet AMD.

METHODS

Using the Intelligent Research in Sight Registry, we studied patients with wet AMD who received ≥1 anti-VEGF injection, who were ≥50 years old, and with ≥1.5 years of follow-up. Patients were grouped based on follow-up duration (in years): ≥1.5 (cohort 1), ≥2.5 (cohort 2), and ≥3.5 (cohort 3).

RESULTS

Patient characteristics were similar between treatment groups. 36.8%, 34.5%, and 39.2% of ranibizumab, aflibercept, and all anti-VEGF eyes, respectively, had an injection interval <8 weeks in length at the end of year 1. Results were similar at year 2 and 3. In cohorts 1-3, visual acuity (VA) changes from baseline ranged from 0.3 to 0.7 (year 1), -1.3 to -1.7 (year 2), and -2.8 to -3.1 (year 3) Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study letters. By the end of year 3, 41%, 39%, and 42% of ranibizumab, aflibercept, and all anti-VEGF eyes, respectively, had discontinued treatment (no injection for >6 months).

CONCLUSION

Approximately one-third of eyes had injection intervals <8 weeks in length at the end of year 1. VA was slightly better at the end of year 1 and declined after the first year despite treatment. By the end of year 3, more than one-third of eyes had discontinued treatment. Given the high treatment burden, wet AMD patients may benefit from more durable approaches that require less frequent dosing.

Clinical and economic burden of neovascular age-related macular degeneration by disease status: a US claims-based analysis

BACKGROUND: New treatment alternatives have revolutionized the management of nAMD. However, there is limited evidence on the clinical and economic burden of nAMD in commercially insured US patients. OBJECTIVES: To examine the clinical and economic burden in patients with nAMD by disease status in the commercially insured US patient population and to identify drivers of nAMD-related costs. METHODS: Patients with at least 1 International Classification of Diseases, 10^th Revision Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) diagnosis for nAMD were identified from the IQVIA PharMetrics Plus database between April 2016 and August 2017 (index period). Patients had continuous enrollment for at least 6 months before and at least 12 months after the index date. Eye-level disease status was reported, along with intravitreal anti-VEGF treatment patterns. Health care resource utilization (HRU) (all-cause and nAMD-related) and direct health care costs were estimated over the 12 month follow-up period. Outcomes associated with falls and fractures were also assessed. Multivariate analysis identified drivers of annual nAMD-related outpatient costs among patients with anti-VEGF therapy. Incident patients (defined as those without an nAMD diagnosis 6 months prior to the index date) with at least 18 months of continuous enrollment after the index date were identified for a subset analysis to evaluate documented changes in disease status. RESULTS: A total of 6,076 patients with nAMD were identified for the prevalent cohort; 60.1%, 17.2%, and 5.9% had active CNV, inactive CNV, and inactive scar disease stage at index, respectively. The nAMD-related outpatient visit costs were roughly 4 and roughly 7 times higher, respectively, for the active CNV group ($8,658 [SD = $11,612]) compared with the inactive CNV ($2,406 [SD = $5,510]) and inactive scar ($1,198 [SD = $3,035]) groups (P < 0.0001). About 10% of prevalent patients had a fall/fracture claim over 12 months of follow-up. A total of 3,623 prevalent patients (59.6%) were eligible for the anti-VEGF treatment patterns analysis (mean [SD] duration of therapy = 7.7 [4.5] months; mean [SD] number of injections = 6.0 [3.7]). Qualified incident cases comprised 17.8% (n = 1,081) of the prevalent cohort. Approximately 20% of incident eyes with active CNV at baseline transitioned to inactive CNV. A total of 427 incident patients (39.5%) qualified for anti-VEGF treatment patterns analysis (mean [SD] duration of therapy = 6.2 [4.7] months, mean [SD] number of injections = 5.2 [3.5]). Significant drivers of total nAMD-related costs were the initial anti-VEGF agent and anti-VEGF injection frequency (P < 0.0001) in both prevalent and incident cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical and economic burden of nAMD treatment is substantial to the US healthcare system, where economic burden is higher among those with active CNV. Appropriate treatment may increase the duration of inactive disease periods and preserve visual acuity while lowering costs. DISCLOSURES: This study was funded by Allergan, an AbbVie Company. Allergan employees were involved in the study design, interpretation of data, writing of the manuscript, and the decision to submit for publication. Keyloun and Campbell are employees of Allergan. Multani, McGuiness, and Chen are employees of IQVIA, which received funding from Allergan for conducting the analysis. Almony and Shah-Manek have nothing to disclose.

Therapy of Age-related Exudative Macular Degeneration with Anti-vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Drugs: An Italian Real Life Study

Aim:

To evaluate the real utilization of ranibizumab and aflibercept in the daily management of patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) treated at the Eye Clinic of Campania University L.Vanvitelli.

Background:

Therapy with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor represents the gold standard in wet age-related macular degeneration. There are nonreal life italian studies of this therapy in the literature.

Objective:

To analyze in our sample the post-therapy variations of best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central retinal thickness (CRT) observed at the end of a 12-month follow-up period.

Methods:

This real-life study analyzes 109 patients that underwent monthly checks for the first 4 months and then every 2 months until the end of the 12-month follow-up. The sample was first analyzed in its entirety, subsequently subdivided into 3 groups based on baseline BCVA, age, and the number of intravitreal injections performed, in order to identify possible predictive elements of the anti-VEGF response.

Results:

On average, patients underwent 4.16 ± 1.58 intravitreal anti-VEGF injections in 1 year. At the end of the 12-month follow-up, the patients’ average BCVA increased from 33.01 letters to 33.75 letters (+0.74 ± 9,4 letters), while the average CRT decreased from 346.86 µm to 265.39 µm (-81.47 ± 121 µm).

Conclusion:

The study shows the efficacy of anti-VEGF therapy in the stabilization of BCVA in nAMD, confirming the differences in visual outcomes compared to clinical trials, mainly for economic-organizational reasons.

CLINICAL OUTCOMES AND TREATMENT COURSE OF EYES WITH NEOVASCULAR AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION FOLLOWING THE DEVELOPMENT OF ENDOPHTHALMITIS

PURPOSE

To evaluate the clinical course of patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) after developing endophthalmitis during their treatment with intravitreal injections.

METHODS

Multicenter, retrospective series.

RESULTS

From April 2013 to October 2018, 196,598 intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injections were performed, with 75 cases of endophthalmitis (incidence 0.0381%). There was no association between intravitreal anti-VEGF drug (P = 0.29), anesthetic method (P = 0.26), povidone concentration (P = 0.22), or any intraprocedure variable and endophthalmitis incidence. Seventy-two patients (96%) were treated with intravitreal tap and inject , while 3 underwent immediate pars plana vitrectomy. After endophthalmitis resolution, 17 patients (22.7%) were not re-treated for nAMD (in 10 cases due to inactive disease; follow-up, 115 ± 8.4 weeks). Patients required less frequent anti-VEGF injections after infection (7.4 ± 0.61 weeks vs. 11.5 ± 1.8 weeks; P = 0.004). Preinfection logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution visual acuity was 0.585 ± 0.053 (∼20/77). It worsened with endophthalmitis (1.67 ± 0.08, ∼20/935; P < 0.001) and again on postendophthalmitis treatment day 1 (1.94 ± 0.064; count fingers; P < 0.001), but improved after reinitiating nAMD therapy (1.02 ± 0.11; ∼20/209; P < 0.001). Better visual acuity on postendophthalmitis week 1 (P = 0.002) and reinitiation of nAMD treatment (P = 0.008) were associated with better final visual acuity, and streptococcal culture with worse visual acuity (P = 0.028). The postendophthalmitis treatment interval was associated with the anti-VEGF drug used (aflibercept = ranibizumab > bevacizumab; P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Patients with nAMD required fewer injections after endophthalmitis, suggesting a biological change in disease activity. Neovascular age-related macular degeneration became quiescent in 13.3% of eyes. Most achieved better outcomes with anti-VEGF reinitiation.

Brolucizumab vs aflibercept and ranibizumab for neovascular age-related macular degeneration: a cost-effectiveness analysis

BACKGROUND: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of blindness worldwide and is the most common cause of blindness in developed countries. Despite antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy demonstrating improvements in visual and anatomical outcomes, unmet needs remain. Brolucizumab-dbll (ie, brolucizumab), a VEGF inhibitor for treatment of neovascular (wet) AMD and recently approved by the FDA for its treatment of wet AMD, attempts to mitigate treatment burden through less frequent injections. OBJECTIVE: To assess the incremental cost-effectiveness of brolucizumab compared with aflibercept and ranibizumab, given similar costs per injection and the potential for longer dosing intervals based on phase 3 clinical trial data. METHODS: A Markov model was developed to model the treatment of wet AMD patients with brolucizumab vs aflibercept and vs ranibizumab over a lifetime time horizon (base case) and 5-year time horizon (scenario analysis). The Markov model consisted of 3 primary health states: on treatment, off treatment, and death. Markov substates (5 total) described visual acuity (VA) ranging from no vision impairment to blindness. These VA-based substates were defined by best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) values measured using Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study letters. Fixed-dosing regimens for each therapy were included in the model: dosing every 4 weeks (q4w) for the first 3 months followed by dosing q8w/q12w for brolucizumab, dosing q4w for the first 3 months followed by dosing q8w for aflibercept, and q4w for ranibizumab. RESULTS: In the base case, brolucizumab was less costly than aflibercept ($63,614 vs $72,189), and brolucizumab generated 0.0079 more quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) than aflibercept (4.580 vs 4.572). Lower total costs with brolucizumab were driven by reduced drug costs ($56,432 vs $64,057), reduced administration costs ($6,013 vs $6,825), and reduced monitoring costs ($1,168 vs $1,306). When evaluating the cost-effectiveness of brolucizumab over a 5-year time horizon, brolucizumab was less costly than aflibercept ($44,644 vs $50,772) and generated an additional 0.0049 QALYs (2.953 vs 2.948). Additionally, brolucizumab was less costly than ranibizumab ($63,614 vs $128,163) and generated 0.0078 more QALYs than ranibizumab (4.580 vs 4.572) in the base case. Lower total costs with brolucizumab were driven by reduced drug costs ($56,432 vs $114,516), reduced administration costs ($6,013 vs $11,541), and reduced monitoring costs ($1,168 vs $2,107). When evaluating the cost-effectiveness of brolucizumab over a 5-year time horizon, brolucizumab was less costly than ranibizumab ($44,644 vs $89,665), and brolucizumab generated an additional 0.0046 QALYs (2.953 vs 2.948). CONCLUSIONS: Brolucizumab can be cost saving and cost-effective compared with aflibercept and ranibizumab in the treatment of wet AMD. DISCLOSURES: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation provided funding to Xcenda for the cost-effectiveness analysis and preparation of this manuscript. Carlton is an employee of Xcenda. Agashivala is employed by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation; Yu was an employee of Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation at the time of this study. Hassan reports personal fees from iOPEN, BVI/Visitrec, ArcticDx, Bayer, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Broadspot, BMC, Katalyst Surgical, Alcon, Vitreq, Surgicube, personal Ocugenix, Regeneron, Allergan, Oculus Surgical, Novartis, Genentech, and Eyepoint, unrelated to this work. Wykoff reports personal fees from Corcept Therapeutics, DORC, EyePoint, Gyroscope, IVERIC Bio, Merck, Notal Vision, ONL Therapeutics, Oxurion, Palatin, PolyPhotonix, Takeda, Thea Open Innovation; grants from Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Aldeyra, Gemini Therapeutics, Graybug Vision, IONIS Pharmaceutical, LMRI, Mylan, Neurotech Pharmaceuticals, Outlook Pharmaceuticals, Samsung Bioepis, Senju, Taiwan Liposome Company, Xbrane BioPharma, Santen; and grants and personal fees from Adverum, Allergan, Apellis, Chengdu Kanghong Biotechnologies (KHB), Clearside Biomedical, Genentech, Kodiak Sciences, NGM Biopharmaceuticals, Novartis, Opthea, Recens Medical, Regenxbio, Roche, and Regeneron, unrelated to this work. This research was presented as a virtual poster at the AMCP 2020 Annual Meeting, April 2020.

Efficacy and Safety of Biosimilar FYB201 Compared with Ranibizumab in Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration

PURPOSE

This trial was conducted to investigate the clinical equivalence of the proposed biosimilar FYB201 and reference ranibizumab in patients with treatment-naive, subfoveal choroidal neovascularization caused by neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD).

DESIGN

This was a prospective, multicenter, evaluation-masked, parallel-group, 48-week, phase III randomized study.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 477 patients were randomly assigned to receive FYB201 (n = 238) or reference ranibizumab (n = 239).

METHODS

Patients received FYB201 or reference ranibizumab 0.5 mg by intravitreal (IVT) injection in the study eye every 4 weeks.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The primary end point was change from baseline in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) by Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) letters at 8 weeks before the third monthly IVT injection. Biosimilarity of FYB201 to its originator was assessed via a 2-sided equivalence test, with an equivalence margin in BCVA of 3 ETDRS letters.

RESULTS

The BCVA improved in both groups, with a mean improvement of +5.1 (FYB201) and +5.6 (reference ranibizumab) ETDRS letters at week 8. The analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) least squares mean difference for the change from baseline between FYB201 and reference ranibizumab was -0.4 ETDRS letters with a 90% confidence interval (CI) of -1.6 to 0.9. Primary end point was met as the 90% CI was within the predefined equivalence margin. Adverse events were comparable between treatment groups.

CONCLUSIONS

FYB201 is biosimilar to reference ranibizumab in terms of clinical efficacy and ocular and systemic safety in the treatment of patients with nAMD.

Anti-VEGF Treatment Patterns in Patients With Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Clinical Practice

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

To characterize on-label anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment patterns in patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in clinical practice in the U.S.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Retrospective cohort analysis using administrative claims data from the IQVIA Open Source Databases. Treatment-naïve patients in the U.S. who received one or more wet AMD-related anti-VEGF injection from July 1, 2013, to April 30, 2017, were included. The main outcome was the injection interval closest to Month 12.

RESULTS

This study included 21,960 patients who initiated an anti-VEGF agent (ranibizumab, aflibercept, or bevacizumab): 5,489 initiated aflibercept and 4,253 initiated ranibizumab. Among ranibizumab, aflibercept, and all anti-VEGF eyes, 38.1% (n = 2,035), 33.5% (n = 3,262), and 40.0% (n = 12,505) of patient eyes had injection intervals of less than 8 weeks, respectively, at Month 12 with the mean (standard deviation) number of injections over 12 months being 8.0 (2.4), 7.6 (2.4), and 7.8 (2.5).

CONCLUSION

A substantial proportion of patients receive injections more frequently than every 8 weeks within the first year of treatment. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2021;52:263-272.].

Visual Acuity Outcomes in Patients Receiving Frequent Treatment of Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Clinical Practice

Purpose:

This work evaluates dosing frequency with intravitreal antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents over 2 years and visual acuity (VA) outcomes in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD).

Methods:

This retrospective analysis assesses electronic medical record data (Vestrum Health treatment and outcomes database) of newly diagnosed nAMD in patients who were initiated on intravitreal anti-VEGF treatment at US clinical sites. Eyes were divided into 2 injection frequency subcohorts (≤ 6 or > 6 injections/y); treatment frequency and change in mean VA (Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study letters) were evaluated.

Results:

Overall, 8127 of 213 824 eyes met inclusion criteria in year 1 and 4968 in year 2. During year 1, 77% of the eyes received more than 6 injections (n = 6287), the majority of which received injections at the same frequency during year 2. Mean VA gain from baseline at year 1 was lower in the ≤ 6 than > 6 injections/y subcohort (2.2 vs 6.5, P < .001). Decrease in mean VA from the end of year 1 to year 2 was significantly greater for eyes administered 6 or fewer injections in year 2 than those that received more frequent injections, irrespective of the frequency of injections in the first year.

Conclusions:

In routine clinical practice, most eyes with nAMD that completed at least 1 year of follow-up were treated with more than 6 injections of anti-VEGF agents during the first year of treatment, resulting in better VA gains than eyes treated less frequently during the same period.

Real-life management of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) in France: a nationwide observational study using retrospective claims data

AIMS

Intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy is standard care for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), but the recommended monthly injection regimen is burdensome. Evidence suggests low injection/monitoring frequencies in clinical practice and suboptimal vision outcomes. This observational cohort study uses administrative claims data from the French national healthcare system to assess anti-VEGF treatment patterns and nAMD-specific healthcare resource demands and costs.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

nAMD patients ≥50 years initiating intravitreal ranibizumab, aflibercept or bevacizumab treatment (2014‒2015), and propensity score-matched non-nAMD patients (controls), were identified from the Echantillon Généraliste de Bénéficiaires database. Outcomes of interest included anti-VEGF treatment patterns, and healthcare resource utilization and associated costs of patients vis-à-vis controls over 24 months.

RESULTS

Study patients (n = 355) received (mean) 5.2 and 2.4 anti-VEGF injections over 0‒12 and 12‒24 months, respectively. Most patients (79.0%) remained on their initial anti-VEGF agent; among treatment switchers, the most common transition was from ranibizumab to aflibercept. During follow-up, nAMD patients were more likely than controls to require ophthalmology visits (99.7% vs. 44.8%), ocular procedures (optical coherence tomography/angiography/fundoscopy) (96.9% vs. 27.2%), cataract surgery (13.0% vs. 6.7%), and medical transports (38.0% vs. 31.9%). Mean numbers of ophthalmology visits (25.1 vs. 1.2) and medical transports (6.0 vs. 3.5) were higher (p<.01) among nAMD patients. Total reimbursed costs were two-fold higher for nAMD patients than controls (mean €16,799 vs. €8,255) due to higher treatment costs (€6,847 vs. €1,156), medical fees (€1,858 vs. €295), hospital fees (€6,396 vs. €5,235), and transport costs (€358 vs. €259). Excess total healthcare cost was (mean) €5,279 and €7,918 over the first 12 and 24 months of treatment, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Current intravitreal anti-VEGF treatment and monitoring requirements place a considerable economic burden on the French healthcare system. New intravitreal therapies with extended dosing intervals and predictable efficacy might reduce demand for ophthalmology services.

Autophagy Genes for Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration in a Finnish Case-Control Study

Age-related macular degeneration is an eye disease that is the main cause of legal blindness in the elderly in developed countries. Despite this, its pathogenesis is not completely known, and many genetic, epigenetic, environmental and lifestyle factors may be involved. Vision loss in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is usually consequence of the occurrence of its wet (neovascular) form that is targeted in the clinic by anti-VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) treatment. The wet form of AMD is associated with the accumulation of cellular waste in the retinal pigment epithelium, which is removed by autophagy and the proteosomal degradation system. In the present work, we searched for the association between genotypes and alleles of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of autophagy-related genes and wet AMD occurrence in a cohort of Finnish patients undergoing anti-VEGF therapy and controls. Additionally, the correlation between treatment efficacy and genotypes was investigated. Overall, 225 wet AMD patients and 161 controls were enrolled in this study. Ten SNPs (rs2295080, rs11121704, rs1057079, rs1064261, rs573775, rs11246867, rs3088051, rs10902469, rs73105013, rs10277) in the mTOR (Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin), ATG5 (Autophagy Related 5), ULK1 (Unc-51-Like Autophagy Activating Kinase 1), MAP1LC3A (Microtubule Associated Protein 1 Light Chain 3 α), SQSTM1 (Sequestosome 1) were analyzed with RT-PCR-based genotyping. The genotype/alleles rs2295080-G, rs11121704-C, rs1057079-C and rs73105013-T associated with an increased, whereas rs2295080-TT, rs2295080-T, rs11121704-TT, rs1057079-TT, rs1057079-T, rs573775-AA and rs73105013-C with a decreased occurrence of wet AMD. In addition, the rs2295080-GG, rs2295080-GT, rs1057079-TT, rs11246867-AG, rs3088051-CC and rs10277-CC genotypes were a positively correlated cumulative number of anti-VEGF injections in 2 years. Therefore, variability in autophagy genes may have an impact on the risk of wet AMD occurrence and the efficacy of anti-VEGF treatment.

Correlation between the rate of intravitreal injections, use of aflibercept as a second-line treatment and visual impairment for wet AMD in Finland

PURPOSE

To correlate the rate of intravitreal anti-VEGF injections and the use of aflibercept as a second-line treatment with visual impairment throughout Finland.

METHODS

Information related to anti-VEGF treatment, proportions of bevacizumab and aflibercept and new visual impairments due to wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) was gathered from 5 university hospitals and 14 central hospital districts between 2015 and 2017 covering 232 568 injections and 1172 visual impairments.

RESULTS

Between 2015 and 2017, the number of annual total anti-VEGF injections increased from 60 412 to 93 589 (+24.5% annual change) and of aflibercept injections from 8299 to 20 833 (+58.7% annual change). The 3-year average for total anti-VEGF injections ranged from 9.6 to 21.1 (median 13.3) per 1000 citizens between hospital districts and for aflibercept injections from 0.8 to 4.0 (median 1.9). According to the primary protocol for wet AMD, during 2015-2017, the number of total anti-VEGF injections increased from 10.9 to 15.2 per 1000 citizens with the pro re nata (PRN) protocol and from 11.3 to 18.9 with the treat-and-extend regimen (TER). The 3-year average of aflibercept injections as a second-line treatment, but not the total number of anti-VEGF or bevacizumab injections, inversely correlated with new onset visual impairments (R = -0.505, P = 0.027) in the hospital districts. The number of visual impairments did not differ between the hospital districts according to the PRN and TER protocols (1.23 ± 0.41 and 1.14 ± 0.67, respectively, per 1000 citizens aged ≥64 years, P = 0.713).

CONCLUSION

These results emphasize that the use of aflibercept injections as a second-line treatment may decrease new onset visual impairments.

Zeb1 promotes corneal neovascularization by regulation of vascular endothelial cell proliferation

Angiogenesis is required for tissue repair; but abnormal angiogenesis or neovascularization (NV) causes diseases in the eye. The avascular status in the cornea is a prerequisite for corneal clarity and thought to be maintained by the equilibrium between proangiogenic and antiangiogenic factors that controls proliferation and migration of vascular endothelial cells (ECs) sprouting from the pericorneal plexus. VEGF is the most important intrinsic factor for angiogenesis; anti-VEGF therapies are available for treating ocular NV. However, the effectiveness of the therapies is limited because of VEGF-independent mechanism(s). We show that Zeb1 is an important factor promoting vascular EC proliferation and corneal NV; and a couple of small molecule inhibitors can evict Ctbp from the Zeb1-Ctbp complex, thereby reducing EC Zeb1 expression, proliferation, and corneal NV. We conclude that Zeb1-regulation of angiogenesis is independent of Vegf and that the ZEB1-CtBP inhibitors can be of potential therapeutic significance in treating corneal NV.

Design, implementation, and evaluation of a nurse-led intravitreal injection programme for retinal diseases in Singapore

BACKGROUND

To describe the design, implementation, and evaluation of a nurse-led intravitreal injection (NL-IVT) programme in a Singapore tertiary eye hospital.

METHODS

Patients requiring anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) IVT were recruited. Implementation and evaluation were done in the Singapore National Eye Centre, a tertiary centre. To assess safety, nurse injectors recorded details of procedures performed and complications for an 8-month period from February 2019. To evaluate patient experience, we used a modified patient questionnaire and recorded both patients' waiting time and IVT procedure duration. A retrospective audit of IVTs before and after the introduction of NL-IVT was performed from January 2017 to September 2019. Cost difference between NL-IVT and standard doctor-led (DL) IVT was evaluated.

RESULTS

A total of 8599 NL-IVTs were performed. No cases of severe complication were detected in the follow-up. A total of 135 patients who received NL-IVT and DL-IVT were surveyed. General satisfaction, interpersonal manner, financial aspect, time spent with injector, and staff competence were higher in NL-IVTs than in DL-IVTs (p < 0.05). There were no differences in terms of technical quality and communication. For 934 patients, waiting time was significantly shorter in NL-IVT (3.6 ± 10.3 min) compared with DL-IVTs (35.3 ± 32.3 min); on average, 19.7  min were saved through NL-IVT (p < 0.01). The cost difference per IVT between NL-IVT and DL-IVT is estimated at 286 SGD (163 GBP).

CONCLUSION

With a well-designed training programme, NL-IVT is a safe, acceptable, and cost savings procedure. With increasing demand for IVT, NL-IVT provides an alternative model of care for healthcare systems globally.

Potential therapeutic application of mesenchymal stem cells in ophthalmology

At present a wide variety of methods have been proposed to treat eye disorders, drug therapies are most commonly used. It should be noted that effective treatment modalities especially for degeneration of the retina and optic nerve are lacking. In the last few years stem cell transplantation has been proposed as an alternative method. The opportunities that stem cells provide within clinical use are almost unlimited. These cells are presently applied to treat various traumatic and degenerative disorders due to their unique biologic properties. Stem cells have high proliferative capabilities and are a self-maintained population of cells capable of differentiating into different cell types. Thus, they are represent a very primary stage of a cell lineage. Their ability to differentiate into different pathways provides animals with great plasticity in the renewal of somatic cells in postnatal ontogenesis. Pre-clinical and clinical ophthalmology studies where mesenchymal stem cells are applied and various methods of their administration are discussed herein. In addition the safety and efficacy of using bone marrow- and adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells have been discussed.

Expression of VEGFA-regulating miRNAs and mortality in wet AMD

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression; many of them act in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), and RPE degeneration is known to be a critical factor in age‐related macular degeneration (AMD). Repeated injections with anti‐VEGFA (vascular endothelial growth factor A) are the only effective therapy in wet AMD. We investigated the correlation between the expression of 18 miRNAs involved in the regulation of the VEGFA gene in serum of 76 wet AMD patients and 70 controls. Efficacy of anti‐VEGFA treatment was evaluated by counting the number of injections delivered up to 12 years. In addition, we compared the relative numbers of deaths in patient with AMD and control groups. We observed a decreased expression of miR‐34‐5p, miR‐126‐3p, miR‐145‐5p and miR‐205‐5p in wet AMD patients as compared with controls. These miRNAs are involved in the regulation of angiogenesis, cytoprotection and protein clearance. No miRNA was significantly correlated with the treatment outcome. Wet AMD patients had greater mortality than controls, and their survival was inversely associated with the number of anti‐VEGFA injections per year. No association was observed between miRNA expression and mortality. Our study emphasizes the need to clarify the role of miRNA regulation in AMD pathogenesis.

One-Year Outcomes of 1 Dose versus 3 Loading Doses Followed by Pro Re Nata Regimen Using Ranibizumab for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration: The ARTIS Trial

Purpose. To compare the functional and anatomical outcomes of one dose and three loading doses followed by the pro re nata (PRN) regimen in Chinese neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nvAMD) (including polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV)) patients. Methods. In this multicenter, prospective, open-label, controlled, 12-month study (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02810808), patients were randomized (1 : 1) to 1 dose + PRN (PRN group) or 3 loading doses + PRN (LD group) using intravitreal ranibizumab treatment. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central retinal thickness (CRT) were evaluated. The main outcome was the change in BCVA. The noninferiority limit was 5 letters. Results. Forty-five patients in the PRN group and 49 patients in the LD group finished 12-month follow-up. Each group included 4 PCV patients. The mean change in BCVA from baseline was 7.8 letters in the PRN group, compared with 10.9 letters in the LD group (P=0.344). There were no significant differences between two groups in the mean change of CRT (−159.3 μm vs. −120.5 μm) at month 12. The mean number of injections during the 12-month follow-up was 6.0 in the PRN group and 6.8 in the LD group. The proportion of patients who gained an improvement in visual acuity by 15 or more letters was 28.9% in the PRN group and 44.9% in the LD group (P=0.066). Conclusion. One dose + PRN showed noninferior visual gains than 3 loading doses + PRN regimen using ranibizumab in Chinese nvAMD and PCV patients. Number of injections in the PRN group was similar as that in the LD group but remained a potential risk of vision instability during one-year follow-up using OCT-guided retreatment criteria. This trial is registered with NCT02810808.

Psychological and Psychosocial Interventions for Depression and Anxiety in Patients With Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVE

To review the current literature on psychosocial and psychological interventions to prevent and treat depression and anxiety in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

METHODS

The authors conducted a systematic review of literature evaluating psychosocial and psychological interventions for depression and anxiety in patients with AMD. Primary searches of PubMed, Cochrane library, EMBASE, Global Health, Web of Science, EBSCO, and Science Direct were conducted to include all articles published up to April 21, 2018.

RESULTS

Of a total of 398 citations retrieved, the authors selected 12 eligible studies published between 2002 and 2016. The authors found nine randomized controlled trials (RCT), and three non-randomized intervention (NRI) studies. RCT studies suggested that interventions using group self-management techniques and individual behavioral activation plus low vision rehabilitation can be effective to treat and prevent depression in patients with AMD, and one study suggested that a stepped-care intervention using cognitive-behavioral techniques can be effective to manage anxiety and depression over time. NRI studies highlighted a positive effect of self-help and emotion-focused interventions to reduce depression.

CONCLUSION

Clinical practice with patients with AMD can rely on some tailored cognitive-behavioral therapeutic protocols to improve patients' mental health, but further clinical trials will generate the necessary evidence-based knowledge to improve those therapeutic techniques and offer additional tailored interventions for patients with AMD.

One- and two-year visual outcomes from the Moorfields age-related macular degeneration database: a retrospective cohort study and an open science resource

OBJECTIVES

To analyse treatment outcomes and share clinical data from a large, single-centre, well-curated database (8174 eyes/6664 patients with 120 756 single entries) of patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). By making our depersonalised raw data openly available, we aim to stimulate further research in AMD, as well as set a precedent for future work in this area.

SETTING

Retrospective, comparative, non-randomised electronic medical record (EMR) database cohort study of the UK Moorfields AMD database with data extracted between 2008 and 2018.

PARTICIPANTS

Including one eye per patient, 3357 eyes/patients (61% female). Extraction criteria were ≥1 ranibizumab or aflibercept injection, entry of 'AMD' in the diagnosis field of the EMR and a minimum of 1 year of follow-up. Exclusion criteria were unknown date of first injection and treatment outside of routine clinical care at Moorfields before the first recorded injection in the database.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Primary outcome measure was change in VA at 1 and 2 years from baseline as measured in Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study letters. Secondary outcomes were the number of injections and predictive factors for VA gain.

RESULTS

Mean VA gain at 1 year and 2 years were +5.5 (95% CI 5.0 to 6.0) and +4.9 (95% CI 4.2 to 5.6) letters, respectively. Fifty-four per cent of eyes gained ≥5 letters at 2 years, 63% had stable VA (±≤14 letters), 44% of eyes maintained good VA (≥70 letters). Patients received a mean of 7.7 (95% CI 7.6 to 7.8) injections during year 1 and 13.0 (95% CI 12.8 to 13.2) injections over 2 years. Younger age, lower baseline VA and more injections were associated with higher VA gain at 2 years.

CONCLUSION

This study benchmarks high quality EMR study results of real life AMD treatment and promotes open science in clinical AMD research by making the underlying data publicly available.

Real-World Outcomes of Anti-VEGF Treatment for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Turkey: A Multicenter Retrospective Study, Bosphorus Retina Study Group Report No: 1

Objectives

To evaluate the real-world outcomes of intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) treatment in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) patients.

Materials and Methods

Multicenter, retrospective, interventional, non-comparative study. The records of nAMD patients treated with an anti-VEGF agent on a pro re nata treatment regimen basis between January 2013 and December 2015 were reviewed. The patients who completed a follow-up period of 12 months were included. Primary outcome measures of this study were the visit and injection numbers during the first year.

Results

Eight hundred eighty eyes of 783 patients met the inclusion criteria for the study. Mean number of visits at month 12 was 6.9±2.5 (range: 1-15). Mean number of injections at month 12 was 4.1±1.9 (range: 1-11). Mean visual acuity at baseline and months 3, 6, and 12 was 0.90±0.63 LogMAR (range: 0.0-3.0), 0.79±0.57 LogMAR (range: 0.0-3.0), 0.76±0.57 LogMAR (range: 0.0-3.0), and 0.79±0.59 LogMAR (range: 0.0-3.0), respectively. Mean central retinal thickness at baseline and months 6 and 12 was 395±153 μm (range: 91-1582), 330±115 μm (range: 99-975), and 332±114 μm (range: 106-1191), respectively.

Conclusion

The numbers of visits and injections were much lower than ideal and were insufficient with the pro re nata treatment regimen.