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Success of as-needed anti-VEGF therapy may differ in AMD subtypes
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KOLOA, Hawaii — As-needed anti-VEGF therapy can effectively lower dose-burden in patients with choroidal neovascularization secondary to age-related macular degeneration, according to a speaker here.
 Elias Reichel |
A retrospective review of 59 eyes of 58 patients treated with a 0.5-mg dose of Avastin (bevacizumab, Genentech) for treatment-naïve CNV demonstrated that patient and lesion characteristics may predict frequency of dosing, Elias Reichel, MD, said at Retina 2010.
"It really suggests that earlier treatment of smaller lesions with thinner foveal thickness, which is implied by this data, may require fewer treatments," Dr. Reichel said.
In the study, 14 eyes required only one injection in the first 6 months, with re-treatment exclusively at the discretion of the investigator, Dr. Reichel said. Twenty eyes required two injections in the first 6 months, five of which required a third injection after 6 months. Twenty-five eyes required three injections.
Classic CNV lesions were more frequent in the single injection group (67%) than the two-injection group (56%) and three-injection group (42%). Lower initial central foveal thickness showed a similar distribution pattern: a mean of 251 µm, 275 µm and 324 µm, respectively.
Hawaiian Eye and Retina 2011 will be held January 16-21, 2011 at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa in Ka'anapali, Maui. Learn more at OSNHawaiianEye.com.