Abstract
Purpose :
There is ongoing research on the safety and efficacy of recently introduced anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) biosimilars for the treatment of retinal disease, especially in the pediatric population. We report our initial experience with intravitreal bevacizumab-bvzr, a bevacizumab biosimilar FDA-approved in 2019 and recently introduced by our institution for off-label ophthalmologic use.
Methods :
This was an IRB-approved single-institution retrospective case series of pediatric patients 21 years or younger who received at least one intravitreal injection of biosimilar bevacizumab-bvzr.
Results :
12 eyes of 9 patients were identified as having received intravitreal bevacizumab-bvzr, with a total of 13 injections performed. The mean number of injections performed per eye was 1.1 (range: 1 – 2 injections). The median follow-up time from first injection was 16 weeks (range: 4 – 33 weeks). The dose used was 0.125 or 0.625 mg in 0.025 ml for 7 retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) injections, and 1.25 mg in 0.05 ml for the remaining injections. Indications for injection included ROP (7/13), macular neovascularization (3/13), retinal vein occlusion (2/13), and Coats disease (1/13). All four patients with ROP experienced regression of Stage 3 disease, and all four patients with intraretinal or subretinal fluid on optical coherence tomography exhibited reduction or resolution of fluid following injection of bevacizumab-bvzr. No occurrences of post-injection inflammation, intraocular pressure anomalies, or endophthalmitis were observed.
Conclusions :
This case series supports the continued use of intravitreal bevacizumab-bvzr as an anti-VEGF therapy option, including in the pediatric population. In light of its favorable cost profile compared to bevacizumab and other anti-VEGF agents, these results should encourage larger studies and its use in resource-poor settings.
This abstract was presented at the 2022 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Denver, CO, May 1-4, 2022, and virtually.