A ranibizumab implant (Port Delivery System) could ease treatment burden, and even improve long-term visual acuity, in people with neovascular age-related macular degeneration, interim results from the phase 3 randomized Archway trial suggest.
“It’s exciting; a huge opportunity for the appropriate patient,” said Timothy Murray, MD, from Ocular Oncology and Retina in Miami, who was not involved in the trial.
Over the course of 40 weeks, patients with the implant required fewer treatments than those who received intravitreal injections of ranibizumab (mean, 2.0 vs 10.7), Carl Regillo, MD, from Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, reported at EURETINA 2020
Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been highly effective in the treatment of patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration, and the rate of adverse events has been low. However, many patients require injections every few weeks to maintain their visual acuity. Intravitreal injections are uncomfortable, and many patients find it difficult to get to their many appointments.
The implant, which is slightly longer than a grain of rice, is implanted in the pars plana during a surgical procedure performed in an operating room with local anesthesia. Once implanted, the device — which continuously diffuses ranibizumab into the vitreous cavity — remains covered by the Tenon capsule and the conjunctiva indefinitely.
Every 24 weeks, the clinician uses a customized needle to refill the implant with ranibizumab 100 mg/mL. This office-based procedure is slightly more complicated than an intravitreal injection because the needle must be perpendicular to the implant, and directly in its center……
Read more: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/939042
Source: Medscape