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Anti-VEGF use for AMD may not increase stroke risk
Rapid and sequential uptake of two VEGF inhibitors did not increase the risk of stroke in patients with age-related macular degeneration, according to a study.
The population-based analysis included 116,388 patients with physician-diagnosed retinal disease who were at least 66 years old. A secondary analysis examined 10,059 patients who had undergone photodynamic therapy within the year preceding the study.
The researchers evaluated changes in the rate of hospitalization for ischemic stroke associated with the introduction of bevacizumab and ranibizumab. The stroke rates were compared for three separate time periods: prior to anti-VEGF use, during bevacizumab-dominant AMD therapy, and during ranibizumab-dominant AMD therapy.
Study results indicated that the rate of hospitalization for stroke among patients with retinal disease did not increase with anti-VEGF use, and stroke rates did not differ during the bevacizumab and ranibizumab periods.
“These population-level results complement the findings of a recently published trial comparing bevacizumab and ranibizumab, and may assist clinicians and policy makers as they balance the comparative efficacy, safety, and cost of these two closely related treatments,” the study authors said.