Visual acuity outcomes and drug costs for different antiangiogenetic agents in the therapy of exudative age-related macular degeneration in a clinical setting

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate changes in visual acuity and drug costs of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy in patients with age related macular degeneration (ARMD).

Methods: Retrospective analysis of 261 consecutive patients (304 eyes) with choroidal neovascularization in ARMD treated with ranibizumab and bevacizumab. The visual acuity at baseline and during follow-up visits, the total number of injections and the type of anti-VEGF agent employed were evaluated.

Results: The total eyes considered in this study were 178 for ranibizumab, 55 for bevacizumab and 71 for both. The mean follow-up time was 988 days (range 54-2394). The mean number of visits for each patient was 27.4. A total of 1713 ranibizumab and 646 bevacizumab were injected in this sample. The mean change of visual acuity was -2.6 letters for ranibizumab and -11.9 letters for bevacizumab. The total charges for each treated eye was 7,996 EURO for ranibizumab and 49 EURO for bevacizumab.

Conclusions: This is a retrospective chart review of patients treated with anti-VEGF therapy in exudative ARMD, and therefore the two groups are not comparable. However data suggests that the employment of ranibizumab may be able to stabilize visual acuity, even though it has significantly higher costs.

Keywords: 412 age-related macular degeneration • 460 clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: health care delivery/economics/manpower • 453 choroid: neovascularization