This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
HARBOR study examines high-dose ranibizumab for neovascular AMD
 Allen C. Ho |
KAANAPALI, Hawaii — Due in part to previous findings from the MARINA and ANCHOR studies, as well as the need for reducing monthly treatment burdens, a rationale exists for using higher doses of ranibizumab for treating neovascular age-related macular degeneration, a speaker said here.
However, the highest tolerated dose is not yet known, Allen C. Ho, MD, said at Retina 2011.
"There was a suggestion of a dose response in the MARINA and ANCHOR trials," Dr. Ho, an OSN Retina/Vitreous Board Member, said. "And although this is a great drug, there is still room for improvement, as persistent edema remains, and not everyone's vision improves [with current dosing methods]."
Dr. Ho presented preliminary information about the HARBOR study, a multicenter, randomized, phase 3 study comparing 0.5 mg of ranibizumab (Lucentis, Genentech), either monthly or as needed; 2 mg of ranibizumab monthly; and 2 mg of ranibizumab as needed with 0.5 mg of ranibizumab monthly. The 1,100 patients included in the study were randomized on a 1:1:1:1 ratio.
"Not just dosing, but the frequency of dosing is an important question in the HARBOR trial," Dr. Ho said. "We know that monthly dosing remains the standard over fixed-interval dosing or PRN that we saw in PIER or SAILOR."
Enrollment was completed in August 2010, and results are expected by the last quarter of this year, according to Dr. Ho.
- Disclosure: Allen C. Ho, MD, has received research grant funding from Genentech.
Hawaiian Eye and Retina 2012 will be held January 15-20 at the Grand Wailea Resort & Spa in Maui. Learn more at OSNHawaiianEye.com or RetinaMeeting.com.