Abstract
Purpose :
To assess global trends in interest surrounding the newly Food and Drug Administration-approved treatment for geographic atrophy Syfovre, (pegcetacoplan), (Apellis Pharmaceuticals Inc., Waltham, MA, USA), and related searches.
Methods :
We utilized Google Trends, (Google LLC, California, USA), which provides real-time data on the relative search volume (RSV) for specified terms, in order to gauge the public interest in “Syfovre” worldwide, with a particular focus on the United States. Our analysis covered the period from October 16, 2022, to October 8, 2023. The primary outcome measures included changes in the RSVs for terms such as “Syfovre”, “pegcetacoplan”, “geographic atrophy” and related popular queries like “Syfovre side effects”.
Results :
Following the positive outcomes of clinical trials involving pegcetacoplan for the treatment of geographic atrophy, the Food and Drug Administration granted approval to Syfovre on February 18, 2023. Subsequently, notable spikes in RSVs for "Syfovre" were observed, (Figure 1), in mid-to-late February 2023, as well as in March and April 2023, coinciding with the drug's introduction to the market. Of the various Syfovre side effects, retinal vasculitis garnered the most significant attention, with a sharp rise in RSV in mid-July 2023, following several reports of this specific adverse event. Geographic variation was evident, with the highest RSVs for "Syfovre" originating from users on the East Coast in Connecticut (RSV = 100), followed by Massachusetts (RSV = 93), and New Jersey (RSV = 89).
Conclusions :
Google Trends proves to be a useful tool for gaining insight into public interest in Syfovre as a treatment for geographic atrophy. Concerns among the public regarding potential side effects necessitate further real-world investigations to examine the causal relationship between Syfovre and retinal vasculitis especially, with the goal of finding prevention strategies.
This abstract was presented at the 2024 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, WA, May 5-9, 2024.