Individualized Therapy with Ranibizumab in Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Individualized Therapy with Ranibizumab in Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration. J Ophthalmol. 2015;2015:412903 Authors: García-Layana A, Figueroa MS, Arias L, Araiz J, Ruiz-Moreno JM, García-Arumí J, Gómez-Ulla F, López-Gálvez MI, Cabrera-López F, García-Campos JM, Monés J, Cervera E, Armadá F, Gallego-Pinazo R Abstract Individualized treatment regimens may reduce patient burden with satisfactory patient outcomes in neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Intravitreal anti-VEGF drugs are the current gold standard. Fixed monthly injections offer the best visual outcome but this regimen is not commonly followed outside clinical trials. A PRN regimen requires monthly visits where the patient is treated in the presence of signs of lesion activity. Therefore, an early detection of reactivation of the disease with immediate retreatment is crucial to prevent visual acuity loss. Several trials suggest that "treat and extend" and other proactive regimens provide a reasonable approach. The rationale of the proactive regimens is to perform treatment anticipating relapses or recurrences and therefore avoid drops in vision while individualizing patient followup. Treat and extend study results in significant direct medical cost savings from fewer treatments and office visits compared to monthly treatment. Current data suggest that, for one year, PRN is less expensive, but treat and extend regimen would likely be less expensive for...
Source: Journal of Ophthalmology - Category: Opthalmology Tags: J Ophthalmol Source Type: research