A Variable-dosing Regimen with Intravitreal Ranibizumab for Neovascular Age-related Macular Degeneration: Year 2 of the PrONTO Study
Accepted 27 January 2009. published online 20 April 2009.
Refers to article:
The As-Needed Treatment Strategy for Choroidal Neovascularization: A Feedback-Based Treatment System
Richard F. Spaide
American Journal of Ophthalmology
July 2009 (Vol. 148, Issue 1, Pages 1-3) Full Text |
Full-Text PDF (115 KB)
Purpose
To assess the long-term efficacy of a variable-dosing regimen with ranibizumab in the Prospective Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Imaging of Patients with Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) Treated with intraOcular Ranibizumab (PrONTO) Study, patients were followed for 2 years.
Design
A 2-year prospective, uncontrolled, variable-dosing regimen with intravitreal ranibizumab based on OCT.
Methods
In this open-label, prospective, single-center, uncontrolled clinical study, AMD patients with neovascularization involving the central fovea and a central retinal thickness (CRT) of at least 300 μm as measured by OCT were enrolled to receive 3 consecutive monthly intravitreal injections of ranibizumab (0.5 mg) [Lucentis; Genentech Inc, South San Francisco, California, USA]. During the first year, retreatment with ranibizumab was performed at each monthly visit if any criterion was fulfilled such as an increase in OCT-CRT of at least 100 μm or a loss of 5 letters or more. During the second year, the retreatment criteria were amended to include retreatment if any qualitative increase in the amount of fluid was detected using OCT.
Results
Forty patients were enrolled and 37 completed the 2-year study. At month 24, the mean visual acuity (VA) improved by 11.1 letters (P < .001) and the OCT-CRT decreased by 212 μm (P < .001). VA improved by 15 letters or more in 43% of patients. These VA and OCT outcomes were achieved with an average of 9.9 injections over 24 months.
Conclusions
The PrONTO Study using an OCT-guided variable-dosing regimen with intravitreal ranibizumab resulted in VA outcomes comparable with the outcomes from the phase III clinical studies, but fewer intravitreal injections were required.
Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida
Inquiries to Philip J. Rosenfeld, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 900 NW 17th Street, Miami, FL 33136
See accompanying Editorial on page 1.
Anne Fung is currently at the Pacific Eye Associates, California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, California. Stephen Michels is currently at the Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.