scholarly journals Patient satisfaction following a switch from treat-and-extend to observe-and-plan regimen in age-related macular degeneration

2022 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. e000930
Author(s):  
Tora Sund Morken ◽  
Christina Knutsen ◽  
Margrete Sætre Hanssen ◽  
Dordi Austeng

ObjectiveStandard treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) is intravitreal injections (IVI) of antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) according to treat-and-extend (TnE). Observe-and-plan (OnP), a new regimen based on each individual’s relapse interval lead to fewer clinical visits and has so far shown to be safe in treatment-naïve patients. In this study, we explore patient satisfaction and safety in nAMD when switching from TnE to OnP.Methods and analysis38 participants treated acording to TnE for ≥12 months were included and switched from TnE to OnP with their last stable interval. Main outcome was patient satisfaction (Leeds Satisfaction Questionnaire). Secondary outcomes were best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central retinal thickness (CRT) before and 12 months after switch and number of monitoring visits and injections of anti-VEGF 12 months prior to and following switch.ResultsMean patient satisfaction was higher (3.7±0.5 SD) at 12 months after switch from TnE to OnP than before (3.6±0.5 SD, p=0.009, response rate 76%). BCVA and CRT were unchanged. Number of monitoring visits and injections were lower in the 12 months following than prior to switch (p<0.001).ConclusionA switch from TnE to OnP in a non-treatment-naïve population resulted in higher patient satisfaction, while maintaining stable BCVA. This indicates that OnP may be applicable in the large group of nAMD patients that have received IVI for several years. OnP may alleviate the treatment burden on both individual and society of frequent clinical visits while increasing patient satisfaction.

2020 ◽  
pp. bjophthalmol-2020-317161
Author(s):  
Cristina Arpa ◽  
Hagar Khalid ◽  
Shruti Chandra ◽  
Siegfried Wagner ◽  
Katrin Fasler ◽  
...  

BackgroundTo describe 10-year trends in visual outcomes, anatomical outcomes and treatment burden of patients receiving antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD).MethodsRetrospective cohort study of treatment-naïve, first-affected eyes with nAMD started on ranibizumab before January 1, 2009. The primary outcome was time to best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) falling ≤35 ETDRS letters after initiating anti-VEGF therapy. Secondary outcomes included time to BCVA reaching ≥70 letters, proportion of eyes with BCVA ≥70 and ≤35 letters in 10 years, mean trend of BCVA and central retinal thickness over 10 years, and mean number of injections.ResultsFor our cohort of 103 patients, Kaplan-Meier analyses demonstrated median time to BCVA reaching ≤35 and ≥70 letters were 37.8 (95% CI 22.2 to 65.1) and 8.3 (95% CI 4.8 to 20.9) months after commencing anti-VEGF therapy, respectively. At the final follow-up, BCVA was ≤35 letters and ≥70 letters in 41.1% and 21%, respectively, in first-affected eyes, while this was the case for 5.4% and 48.2%, respectively, in a patient’s better-seeing eye. Mean injection number was 37.0±24.2 per eye and 53.6±30.1 at patient level (63.1% of patients required injections in both eyes).ConclusionsThe chronicity of nAMD disease and its management highlights the importance of long-term visual prognosis. Our analyses suggest that one in five patients will retain good vision (BCVA ≥70 ETDRS letters) in the first-affected eye at 10 years after starting anti-VEGF treatment; yet, one in two patients will have good vision in their better-seeing eye. Moreover, our data suggest that early treatment of nAMD is associated with better visual outcomes.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eui Chun Kang ◽  
Hyoung Jun Koh

Herein, we review the association between vitreomacular adhesion (VMA) and neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Meta-analyses have shown that eyes with neovascular AMD are twice as likely to have VMA as normal eyes. VMA in neovascular AMD may induce inflammation, macular traction, decrease in oxygenation, sequestering of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and other cytokines or may directly stimulate VEGF production. VMA may also interfere with the treatment effects of anti-VEGF therapy, which is the standard treatment for neovascular AMD, and releasing VMA can improve the treatment response to anti-VEGF treatment in neovascular AMD. We also reviewed currently available methods of relieving VMA.


2021 ◽  
Vol 62 (8) ◽  
pp. 1076-1083
Author(s):  
Yi Sang Yoon ◽  
Won Tae Yoon ◽  
Jong Woo Kim ◽  
Chul Gu Kim ◽  
Jae Hui Kim

Purpose: To evaluate the proportion of bevacizumab and the reason for its usage in wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD).Methods: Retrospective analysis of medical records was performed for 1,541 patients who received ranibizumab, aflibercept, or bevacizumab injection to treat wet AMD. The proportion of bevacizumab among the entire set of injections was identified. The reason for selecting bevacizumab was additionally identified.Results: During the study period, a total of 2,929 anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) injections were performed; 2,236 (76.3%) were ranibizumab or aflibercept injections and 693 (23.7%) were bevacizumab injections. The most common reason for bevacizumab usage was ‘having a 0.1 or worse best-corrected visual acuity or being unable to assure reimbursement due to the development of extensive scarring or geographic atrophy’ (297 bevacizumab injections, 42.9%). The second most common reason was ‘the inability to assure reimbursement such as extrafoveal choroidal neovascularization (CNV) or early CNV without definite fluid in the foveal region’ (201 bevacizumab injections, 29.0%).Conclusions: Bevacizumab was used in 23.7% of the anti-VEGF injections to treat wet AMD. When analyzing patients’ treatment burden and financial impact, the results of the present study may provide useful information. Further multi-center studies are required to evaluate more precisely the usage of anti-VEGF drugs.


2021 ◽  
pp. 112067212110057
Author(s):  
Pierre Gascon ◽  
Prithvi Ramtohul ◽  
Charles Delaporte ◽  
Sébastien Kerever ◽  
Danièle Denis ◽  
...  

Purpose: To report the visual and anatomic outcomes in treatment-naïve neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) patients treated with aflibercept under a standardized Treat and Extend (T&E) protocol for up to 3 years of follow-up in “real-life” practice. Methods: This retrospective, observational, multicenter study included patients with treatment-naïve nAMD and at least 12 months of follow-up. T&E regimen adjustment was initiated after loading phase. At each visit best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and optical coherence tomography parameters were performed. Results: One hundred and thirty-six eyes of 115patients had at least 1 year of follow-up with 114 and 82 eyes completing at least 2 and 3 years of follow-up, respectively (mean follow-up duration: 2.7 ± 1.3 years). Mean age was 78.6 ± 8.6 years old and 52% were women. Mean BCVA increased from 60.6 ± 18.7 letters at diagnosis to 66.9 ± 16.2 letters at 1 year (+6.3 letters, p = 0.003) and remained stable throughout the follow-up period (63.1 ± 20.3 letters (+2.5, p = 0.1) and 64.0 ± 20.1 letters (+3.4, p = 0.27) at 2 and 3 years, respectively). The mean central retinal thickness decreased significantly from 358.2 ± 87.9 µm at baseline to 302 ± 71.7 µm at 12 months and maintained stable after 36 months of follow-up (297.1 ± 76 µm, p < 0.0001). Mean number of injections was 6.6 ± 2.2, 4.8 ± 1.9, and 5.6 ± 1.7 at 1, 2, and 3 years, respectively. Mean cumulative number of 16.4 ± 5.6 injections after 3 years. Mean treatment interval was 6.8 ± 2.5 weeks at 1 year. Eight-week and 12-week treatment interval were achieved in 59.5% and 19.1%, 65.8%, and 36.8% and 69.5% and 41.5% at 1, 2, and 3 years, respectively. Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that intravitreal injections of aflibercept initiated under a standardized T&E for patients with treatment-naïve nAMD allow for significant visual improvement at 12 months, which was maintained over a 3-year follow-up period.


2010 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. CMT.S2393
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Querques

Pegaptanib sodium is a polyethylene-glycolated, 28-nucleotide RNA aptamer that binds selectively to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)165 but not smaller isoforms. Preclinical studies identified VEGF165 as an especially potent promoter of ocular neovascularization and inflammation. Following the pivotal clinical trials demonstrating the efficacy of intravitreal pegaptanib in treating all angiographic subtypes of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (NV-AMD), pegaptanib became the first anti-VEGF therapy to receive regulatory approval for this condition. In view of the importance of VEGF in a variety of tissues, including the cardiovascular system and the retina, concerns have been raised as to the risks that might accompany VEGF inhibition. It is thus of particular note that pegaptanib has proved to have a favorable safety record in treating NV-AMD, with no ocular or systemic safety signals having emerged over more than 4 years of clinical studies. Accordingly, in addition to its use as a single agent, pegaptanib has demonstrated promise in combinatorial regimens that employ nonselective anti-VEGF agents as an initial treatment followed by maintenance therapy with pegaptanib. Pegaptanib has also shown encouraging preliminary results in the treatment of diabetic macular edema, proliferative diabetic retinopathy, and macular edema secondary to retinal venous occlusive conditions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. e000398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saira Khanna ◽  
Rahul Komati ◽  
David A Eichenbaum ◽  
Ishani Hariprasad ◽  
Thomas A Ciulla ◽  
...  

Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss in the developed world, with the expected number of affected elderly individuals reaching 17.8 million. Antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) injection therapy has been instrumental in treating a disease process that was previously thought to be untreatable. Over the past two decades, landmark studies have demonstrated the efficacy of different anti-VEGF medications and investigated the optimal dosing regimen and delivery mechanism to increase overall vision and minimise patient burden. In this review, we outline landmark neovascular age-related macular degeneration clinical trials that have demonstrated level 1 evidence for its usage or have contributed to the understanding of how to dose these agents.


2020 ◽  
pp. bjophthalmol-2020-316514
Author(s):  
Damian Jaggi ◽  
Thanoosha Nagamany ◽  
Andreas Ebneter ◽  
Marion Munk ◽  
Sebastian Wolf ◽  
...  

AimTo report long-term outcomes on best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and treatment intervals with a treat-and-extend (T&E) regimen in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD).MethodsThis observational study included treatment-naïve patients with nAMD, treated with aflibercept. A specific T&E protocol without a loading phase and predefined exit criteria was administered. After reaching predefined ‘exit-criteria’, the treatment period was complete, and patients were observed three monthly.ResultsEighty-two patients with a follow-up period of ≥2 years were included. BCVA (mean±SD, ETDRS letters) increased from 51.9±25.2 at baseline to 63.7±17.7 (p<0.0001) at 1 year, 61.7±18.5 (p<0.0001) at 2 years, 62.4±19.5 (p<0.0001, n=61) at 3 years and remained insignificantly higher than baseline at 4 years at 58.5±24.3 (p=0.22). Central subfield thickness (mean±SD, μm) decreased significantly from 387.5±107.6 (p<0.0001) at baseline to 291.9±65.5 (p<0.0001) at 1 year, and remained significantly lower until 4 years at 289.0±59.4 (p<0.0001). Treatment intervals (mean±SD, weeks) could be extended up to 9.3±3.1 weeks at 1 year and remained at 11.2±3.5 weeks at 4 years. Twenty-nine (35%) patients reached exit criteria and continued with three monthly observation only.ConclusionsAfter 4 years of treatment, initial vision gains were maintained with a reasonable treatment burden, even without an initial loading phase. Our results on functional outcomes are comparable with large controlled studies.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document