The anti-vascular endothelial growth factor drugs ranibizumab and aflibercept, used to treat vision loss
from diabetic macular edema (DME), and approximately 20 to 30 times more expensive than bevacizumab, are not cost - effective for treatment of DME compared to bevacizumab unless their prices decrease substantially, according to a study published online by JAMA Ophthalmology.
Additional inhibitors targeting this pathway are under development by multiple pharmaceutical companies for this genetic disease and other conditions,
including diabetic macular edema.
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals this week reported positive results from two phase 3 trials of Eylea (aflibercept) injection
for diabetic macular edema (DME).
These included age - related macular degeneration, or AMD — a leading cause of vision loss in adults over 50 — and
diabetic macular edema, a condition that develops from diabetic retinopathy.
The advent of intravitreous (in the vitreous, the fluid behind the lens in the eye) anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injections to treat common causes of vision loss, such as exudative (wet) age - related macular degeneration (AMD) and
diabetic macular edema has improved visual outcomes for many patients.
This AI was designed to flag advanced AMD or
diabetic macular edema for urgent treatment, and to refer less severe cases for routine checkups.
VEGF inhibitors have been used for several years to treat
diabetic macular edema, a swelling of the retina that can occur as blood leaks around it.
About 750,000 Americans with diabetic retinopathy have
diabetic macular edema (DME) in which fluid leaks into the macula, the area of the retina used when looking straight ahead.
In the first clinical trial directly comparing three drugs most commonly used to treat
diabetic macular edema, researchers found all were effective in improving vision and preventing vision loss.
The study focused on two common causes of irreversible blindness: macular degeneration and
diabetic macular edema.
The current standard of clinical care for wet macular degeneration and
diabetic macular edema is repeated injections into the eye of antibodies against a protein called VEGF.
The finding could lead to the development of new drugs for wet macular degeneration and
diabetic macular edema.
An equally large number of patients have
diabetic macular edema and could also potentially benefit from the treatment.
Because Lucentis is commonly injected to treat
diabetic macular edema (DME)-- a build - up of fluid in the center of the retina — the study permitted the use of Lucentis for DME in the laser group, if necessary.
According to Dr. Aiello, anti-VEGF treatments proved to be approximately twice as effective in improving vision and nearly three times more effective in preventing vision loss from
diabetic macular edema than laser treatments.
• Refractive errors • Cataracts • Optic neuritis, an inflammation of the optic nerve • Retinal diseases, such as a retinal tear or detachment • Macular degeneration • Glaucoma • Conjunctivitis • Diabetic eye problems, such as diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema