Avacincaptad pegol may help preserve driving eligibility in patients with GA
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Avacincaptad pegol may help postpone driving restrictions or loss of driving eligibility in patients with geographic atrophy, according to a post hoc analysis of the GATHER1 and GATHER2 trials.
“Losing the ability to drive is a significant milestone for people as it places a burden on support systems and negatively affects the psychosocial well-being of the patients,” Seenu M. Hariprasad, MD, of the University of Chicago, said at the American Society of Retina Specialists annual meeting. “It is important to consider how treatments that can slow GA growth could also impact vision, specifically driving, and preserve patient independence.”
The analysis focused on patients who received avacincaptad pegol (ACP) in the GATHER trials for the treatment of geographic atrophy (GA), with the objective of examining the proportion of patients who received ACP 2 mg or sham and progressed to loss of driving eligibility or legal blindness at up to 18 months.
In patients with a BCVA baseline of 75 letters or more, 12.3% of those treated with ACP 2mg experienced a drop to 65 letters or less at any visit, vs. 20.4% in the placebo group. For patients starting with BCVA of 70 letters or more, 25% of patients treated with ACP experienced a reduction of BCVA to 60 letters or less, compared to 23.7% in the placebo group, according to the analysis. The researchers defined loss of driving eligibility as BCVA of 65 letters or less.
“A lower proportion of individuals who received ACP 2 mg progressed to losing driving eligibility or driving with restriction if they met a higher baseline best corrected visual acuity, suggesting earlier treatment has the potential to preserve vision,” Hariprasad said.
In addition, a lower proportion of patients who received ACP 2 mg progressed to legal blindness over 18 months compared with sham.
“Taken together, these post hoc analyses suggest that ACP 2 mg may be beneficial for postponing driving restrictions or the loss of driving eligibility in people with higher best corrected visual acuity at baseline,” Hariprasad said.
The study was limited because it was not a prespecified analysis. Several confounders also exist, including lesion location over time, baseline lesion characteristics and baseline low-luminance BCVA.
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Hariprasad SM, et al. Maintenance of driving ability in patients with geographic atrophy from GATHER1 and GATHER2 clinical trials: a post hoc analysis. Presented at: American Society of Retina Specialists annual meeting; July 17-20, 2024; Stockholm.
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