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Treat-and-extend treatment benefits maintained at 3 years
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SAN DIEGO — Mean visual acuity and anatomical improvements were sustained at 3 years using a treat-and-extend regimen for neovascular age-related macular degeneration, according to a speaker at the American Society of Retina Specialists annual meeting.
Carl D. Regillo, MD, FACS, and colleagues have been following up patients receiving treat-and-extend therapy with bevacizumab (Avastin, Genentech) and ranibizumab (Lucentis, Genentech) to determine long-term treatment outcomes.
Carl D. Regillo
Patients included in the retrospective consecutive case series at Wills Eye Hospital, Philadelphia, received monthly bevacizumab or ranibizumab treatment until there were no signs of neovascularization as seen on spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. Treatment was then extended by intervals of 2 weeks unless signs of exudation or neovascularization were seen.
“The good news is that within the next few years, coming out of the United States and even more abroad, we’ll have some comparative trials to draw from,” Regillo said. “In our study, we show an effective visual anatomic result that is well-maintained at 3 years, and we’re not seeing any signs of drop-off.”
Disclosure:Regillo receives research support for the Wills Eye Retina Service from Genentech, Regeneron, Novartis, Alcon, National Institutes of Health, Allergan, Alimera, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Second Sight, Ophthotech and Santen. Regillo is a consultant for Genentech, Regeneron, Novartis, Alcon, Allergan, GSK, Abbott Medical Optics and Acucela.