Abstract
Purpose: :
To investigate plasma vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels after intravitreal Bevacizumab, Ranibizumab and Pegaptanib injection (IVI) into eyes with age related macular degeneration (ARMD)
Methods: :
Thirty eyes of 30 patients with ARMD and 11 eyes of 11 patients without ocular diseases (wod) were randomized after diagnosis of wet ARMD. Each group consisted of ten eyes, identified for treatment with one of the three study agents. Analysis included evaluation of basic clinical conditions and measurement of plasma VEGF concentrations using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays before intravitreal Injection of Bevacizumab, Ranibizumab and Pegaptanib. Measurement of plasma VEGF concentrations one week and four weeks after intravitreal Injection of Bevacizumab, Ranibizumab and Pegaptanib was continued.
Results: :
ARMD eyes without IVI had normal plasma VEGF levels compared with the eyes in the wod group. Mean concentration before IVI was 99.5 and 112.2 one week after IVI. Four weeks after IVI mean concentration was 25.4 with a high deviation. This was a statistically significant decrease compared to plasma VEGF levels before and the wod group. The difference between level before and after one week was not significant. Comparing Bevacizumab with Ranibizumab and both with Pegaptanib no statistically significant difference could be observed. Overall there was no plasma level difference observed between Bevacizumab, Ranibizumab and Pegaptanib
Conclusions: :
Plasma VEGF levels in patients with ARMD were at the same level like in patients without ocular diseases. Four weeks after IVI the VEGF plasma concentrations were significantly decreased in all groups. Our findings confirm recent studies referring to comparable SAE after IVI with Bevacizumab and Ranibizumab.
Clinical Trial: :
https://eudract.ema.europa.eu 2010024654-11
Keywords: age-related macular degeneration • pathology: human • pathobiology