Real-World Results of Aflibercept versus Ranibizumab for the Treatment of Exudative AMD Using a Fixed Regimen

• Autor(a) principal: Providência, Joana
• Data de Publicação: 2018
• Outros Autores: Rodrigues, Tiago M, Oliveira, Mariana, Bernardes, João, Marques, João Pedro, Murta, Joaquim N., Silva, Rufino
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10316/107513; https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/9276580
• topic: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Angiogenesis Inhibitors; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Intravitreal Injections; Macular Degeneration; Male; Ranibizumab; Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor; Recombinant Fusion Proteins; Retrospective Studies; Tomography, Optical Coherence; Treatment Outcome; Visual Acuity

Intravitreal injections of antivascular endothelial growth factors have been considered a milestone in the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). However, the increasing incidence of AMD and the burden of visits and injections overcharge both the patient and the healthcare systems. Real-world solutions depend on treatment protocols aimed at optimizing the number of clinical visits while guaranteeing good functional outcomes. We performed a retrospective analysis of 72 eyes from 63 naïve patients diagnosed with nAMD that underwent a fixed intravitreal protocol consisting of bimonthly injections after a three-month loading dose, with either Aflibercept or Ranibizumab (no predefined criteria for treatment selection). Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and optical coherence tomography were analyzed at baseline and during follow-up clinical visits (months 3, 6, 12, and 18). From the included participants, 42 followed a fixed regimen with Aflibercept and 30 with Ranibizumab. At the 12-month visit, there was not a statistically significant difference in the mean change of BCVA between the two groups (p=0.121); however, the mean difference in the central retinal thickness was significantly superior in the Aflibercept group (-142.2 versus -51.5, p=0.011). The described fixed regimen seems to be efficient in the treatment of nAMD in a clinical practice setting.