Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Drugs for Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Authors: Hao Qiukui , Bailey Sharon 
Published: November 2023

What Is the Issue?

Wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a serious health concern that causes reduced vision-related function, poor overall quality of life, and increased health care resource usage.

Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs are the first-line treatment for wet AMD, and they are injected into the eye. These drugs can slow disease progression but are expensive and require trained medical professionals to administer and monitor treatment response.

The criteria for initial injection, maintenance, and discontinuation of anti-VEGF drugs in patients with wet AMD remain unclear.

What Did We Do?

To inform decisions about the appropriate use of anti-VEGF drugs to treat adults with wet AMD, CADTH sought to identify and summarize recommendations about criteria for the diagnosis of wet AMD and best practices for subsequent treatment with anti-VEGF drugs.

An information specialist searched the peer-reviewed and grey literature for clinical practice guidelines published since 2018.

What Did We Find?

Three evidence-based guidelines recommend optical coherence tomography (OCT) to assess patients with suspected wet AMD. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines then strongly recommend fundus fluorescein angiography only when OCT does not exclude neovascular disease.

The evidence-based guidelines recommend anti-VEGF drugs for wet or neovascular AMD in adults, particularly for patients with recent disease progression. One guideline suggests starting anti-VEGF treatment as soon as possible once the diagnosis of wet AMD is made.

The NICE guideline suggests that there may not be any clinically significant distinctions in the effectiveness and safety of various anti-VEGF treatments, including aflibercept, bevacizumab, and ranibizumab, indicating a need for an individualized approach when selecting specific anti-VEGF drugs. However, 1 guideline is inconsistent with NICE, as it suggests choosing bevacizumab first.

During the maintenance phase of using anti-VEGF drugs, it is important to closely monitor the patient's response and the disease activity and adjust the injection intervals accordingly.

Guidelines recommend taking an individualized approach and emphasizing active patient involvement in switching and discontinuing anti-VEGF drugs for adults with wet AMD.

Guidelines or guidance documents without a literature search or unclear methods provided generally consistent recommendations with the included evidence-based guidelines.

We did not identify any evidence-based guidelines regarding the use of faricimab or brolucizumab. However, NICE published technology appraisals supporting the use of recently approved anti-VEGF drugs (faricimab and brolucizumab) as alternative options for patients who meet similar criteria for treatment with bevacizumab or aflibercept, and under agreed pricing conditions.

What Does It Mean?

All identified guidelines consistently recommend anti-VEGF drugs for adults with wet active AMD, with some providing guidance on the use of OCT and other ophthalmological assessments to identify criteria for starting and adjusting treatment.

These guidelines recommend personalized and patient-centred approaches for selecting, switching, and discontinuing anti-VEGF medications. Cost is also a crucial factor in decision-making, especially for aflibercept, ranibizumab, and recently approved anti-VEGF drugs such as faricimab and brolucizumab.

Further research and evidence-based guidelines are necessary to confirm whether newer drugs can be used in similar situations as older drugs.