Introduction: Although several approaches have been studied for treating wet age-related macular degeneration (w-AMD), currently, the most effective strategy in the management of this visual disorder is represented by anti-VEGF drugs. Among them, ranibizumab (RBZ) is widely adopted in clinical practice for treating w-AMD. Areas covered: VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) is a hypoxia-induced growth factor promoting neoangiogenesis, which has been correlated to the pathogenesis of w-AMD. RBZ is a humanized, recombinant, monoclonal antibody fragment (Fab), which binds all the isoform of VEGF-A and, therefore, exerts an inhibitory activity on the growth of new pathological vessels leading to the reabsorption of VEGF-related macular edema. The pivotal trials ANCHOR and MARINA revealed its clinical efficacy and good safety profile for treating w-AMD, leading ultimately to its FDA approval. Further trials have analyzed the best dosage and regimen modality, reporting RBZ at 0.5 mg with a ‘pro re nata’ regimen (PRN) to be non-inferior to the 0.5 mg formulation administered monthly. The treat-to-extend (TAE) regimen has also been investigated, demonstrating encouraging results in terms of clinical efficacy and nonetheless, it was proven to be a well-tolerated option with the possibility of reducing the treatment burden for the patients. Conclusions: RBZ has been proven to be an effective anti-VEGF agent for treating w-AMD; however, more optimal therapeutic regimens and drug delivery systems are being investigated in order to improve patients’ compliance and treatment burden.

Clinical efficacy and safety of ranibizumab in the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration

Ferrero S.;Traverso C. E.;Nicolo M.
2019-01-01

Abstract

Introduction: Although several approaches have been studied for treating wet age-related macular degeneration (w-AMD), currently, the most effective strategy in the management of this visual disorder is represented by anti-VEGF drugs. Among them, ranibizumab (RBZ) is widely adopted in clinical practice for treating w-AMD. Areas covered: VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) is a hypoxia-induced growth factor promoting neoangiogenesis, which has been correlated to the pathogenesis of w-AMD. RBZ is a humanized, recombinant, monoclonal antibody fragment (Fab), which binds all the isoform of VEGF-A and, therefore, exerts an inhibitory activity on the growth of new pathological vessels leading to the reabsorption of VEGF-related macular edema. The pivotal trials ANCHOR and MARINA revealed its clinical efficacy and good safety profile for treating w-AMD, leading ultimately to its FDA approval. Further trials have analyzed the best dosage and regimen modality, reporting RBZ at 0.5 mg with a ‘pro re nata’ regimen (PRN) to be non-inferior to the 0.5 mg formulation administered monthly. The treat-to-extend (TAE) regimen has also been investigated, demonstrating encouraging results in terms of clinical efficacy and nonetheless, it was proven to be a well-tolerated option with the possibility of reducing the treatment burden for the patients. Conclusions: RBZ has been proven to be an effective anti-VEGF agent for treating w-AMD; however, more optimal therapeutic regimens and drug delivery systems are being investigated in order to improve patients’ compliance and treatment burden.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11567/954423
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