Anti-VEGF Continuation Wanes After 3-6 Years for Patients with nAMD

Real-world data suggest anti-VEGF injections generally slow among patients being treated for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) in years 3-6 of therapy.

The findings, derived from an assessment of the Intelligent Research in Sight (IRIS) Registry database, show that slowed regimens during this time—as well as an increased rate of therapy discontinuation altogether—could implicate greater long-term risks of vision loss for patients with nAMD.

Presented at the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS) 2021 Scientific Meeting this weekend by Theodore Leng, MD, MS, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at Stanford University, the trial provided a snapshot of treatment continuation among patients with nAMD prescribed any of 3 prominent anti-VEGF treatments: aflibercept, bevacizumab, and ranibizumab.

In an interview with HCPLive during ASRS 2021, Leng discussed the study findings and their benefit for interpreting long-term nAMD patient treatment tendencies.

“You’re right about this being a pivotal time in the use of these agents,” Leng said. “We’ve had them around since the 2005 time frame—at least 10 years experience with these different agents. And we’ve really come into our own as far as figuring out the best treatment modalities, whether that’s monthly, PRN (pro re nata), or treat and extend, or some combination of those.”

Leng also highlighted the substantial utility of the US-based IRIS database, and other interesting outcomes associated with long-term visual acuity from his team’s research.

The study, “Long-term Experience With Intravitreal Anti-VEGF Treatment in Patients With nAMD: Analysis of IRIS® (Intelligent Research in Sight) Registry Database,” was presented at ASRS 2021.