Commonly used macular degeneration drug outperforms another at weaning patients off treatment at one year (Eylea)

Medical Xpress / Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine / Journal of Clinical Investigation ^ | Nov. 30, 2022 | Xuan Cao et al

[ConservativeMind]

A pilot, "look-back" study of information about 106 patients with "wet" age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has revealed that nearly half of patients treated with aflibercept could safely stop eye injection therapy after one year without further vision loss. Only 17% of patients taking another commonly used wet AMD therapy, bevacizumab, were able to safely wean from the drug at a year.

The findings build on evidence from a previous study that found potentially a third of patients with wet AMD could safely pause therapy after one year of monitoring by a physician.

"Our results suggest that many patients with macular degeneration may not need lifelong therapy," says Akrit Sodhi , M.D., Ph.D.,

Age-related macular degeneration is the most common cause of vision loss among people age 50 and older.

At one year, the records showed that 50% (30 of patients 60) of patients treated with aflibercept were considered weaned off therapy, compared to 17% of patients (8 of 46) treated with bevacizumab.

For patients who still needed treatment, the intervals between injections was 44% longer (13.1 weeks versus 9.1 weeks) for patients treated with aflibercept than those treated with bevacizumab. Fluid accumulation and progressive vision loss were similar in the two groups.

The researchers monitored 56 of the 106 patients for an additional year—13 of 27 (48%) patients treated with aflibercept remained off treatment at the end of two years, compared with eight of 29 (28%) patients weaned off bevacizumab.

Overall, at two years the number of total injections for patients treated with aflibercept was reduced by 27% (10.2 vs. 14) when compared with the standard bi-monthly treatment schedule while the total injections for patients treated with bevacizumab was reduced by 44% (14 vs. 25) when compared with the standard monthly treatment schedule.

[ConservativeMind]

The experiment included lengthening the time between treatments, which minimized some of the costs.

[ConservativeMind]

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[Seaplaner]

Good article, thanks!

I'm seeing more and more of friends and fam diagnosed w MD.

I do suspect that the prevalence is increasing within our pop.

[ifinnegan]

Bevacizumab was first and is a monoclonal antibody against VEGF, vascular endothelial growth factor A.

Aflibercept is a receptor mimic for both VEGF A and B and also binds to Placental growth factor, which is not considered active in adults, but can be in cancer.

I find these findings intriguing and important.

Unfortunately, I don’t think Wet Macular Degeneration ever stops, but these drugs do slow it and can cause temporary improvement.

But there are many different levels of wet macular degeneration. Some people have it worse than others.

[chronicles]

I think you are right about wet MD never stopping.
I have been getting injections in one eye for over 10 years and about a half dozen times it has been necessary in addition
to the injections to insert an ozurdex implant that dissolves over the course of a couple of months.
I count myself extremely blessed that only one eye is affected.

[cicero2k]

I’m an Eyelea user. My last scan showed a completely flat retina so we’re upping to 12 week interval. Hoping for cessation in a year. The dry AMD however is causing 30% vision loss in one eye. That’s not fixable. I’m 71.

[GranTorino]

P

[Bonemaker]

My dry AMD recently turned wet and I have had three treatments so far spaced a month apart. The "treatment" being an injection into the eyeball. Not something you look forward too.

[Carriage Hill]

BKMRK.