Abstract
Purpose :
To evaluate the treatment intervals at 12/24 months after anti-VEGF initiation and describe the profile of patients achieving extended treatment intervals, defined as ≥12 and ≥16 weeks, at these timepoints nationwide.
Methods :
Multicenter, national, retrospective, real-world database study of nAMD eyes treated with approved intravitreal anti-VEGFs. All eyes meeting inclusion/exclusion criteria were analyzed. Additionally, a post-hoc subanalysis was performed including only eyes with “adequate nAMD management” defined as completion of loading dose and number of injections within a range at 12 (6-13) and 24 months (8-24) among other criteria. Demographics, visual acuity (VA), lesion activity, and injection/visit frequency at 12/24 months were collected using a validated web-based tool (Fight Retinal Blindness!). Treatment intervals (in weeks), VA change from baseline and lesion activity at 12/24 months were analyzed.
Results :
The post-hoc subanalysis included 1278 and 557 eyes at 12 and 24 months, respectively. At 12 months, 38.2% achieved ≥Q12W (9.1% ≥Q16W) and at 24 months 47% achieved ≥Q12W (18.7% ≥Q16W). VA change was not significantly different between treatment interval groups at 12 months (≤Q8W: +4.7, Q8-Q12: +3.5, Q12-Q16: +6.1, ≥Q16W: +4.8 letters) and 24 months (≤Q8W: +5.8, Q8-Q12: +3.7, Q12-Q16: +4.1, ≥Q16W: +3 letters). The percentage of visits with active lesions was similar between groups at 12 months (≤Q8W: 22%, Q8-Q12: 20%, Q12-Q16: 28%, ≥Q16W: 24%) and 24 months (≤Q8W: 20%, Q8-Q12: 20%, Q12-Q16: 18%, ≥Q16W:18%), reflecting adequate control of the disease.
Conclusions :
This study highlights that, even if adequately managed, a significant proportion of eyes do not achieve extended treatment intervals at 12 and 24 months (61.8% and 52.9%, respectively), and provides accurate estimates of the magnitude of the unmet need in nAMD management with the analyzed antiVEGF agents. This data is critical to develop potential strategies to alleviate the disease burden and mitigate vision loss in routine clinical care.
This abstract was presented at the 2024 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, WA, May 5-9, 2024.