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Study: Photodynamic therapy provides no additional benefit to anti-VEGF therapy

Am J Ophthalmol. 2009;148(5):718-724.

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Photodynamic therapy appears to add no benefit to reduction of aqueous VEGF at 1 month when used in combination therapy, according to a study.

In a prospective, interventional, case-control study including 34 patients, half received Lucentis (ranibizumab, Genentech) monotherapy and half received ranibizumab along with PDT for choroidal neovascularization secondary to age-related macular degeneration. VEGF and pigment epithelium-derived growth factor values decreased significantly in both groups but there was no statistical difference.

At 1 month, the reduction of aqueous VEGF levels in the monotherapy group was a mean 208 pg/mL compared to 227 pg/mL in the combination therapy group. Reduction in pigment epithelium-derived growth factor at 1 month was also similar: 4.5 ng/mL for monotherapy compared to 4.7 ng/mL for combination therapy.

While "reduction levels of VEGF and [pigment epithelium-derived growth factor] are correlated with anatomic improvements in the macula," mean changes in visual acuity and central macular thickness were similar in both groups in the study.