Retrospective analysis of first-line anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treatment patterns in wet age-related macular degeneration.

Introduction: This study compared the number of, and expenditures on, first-line intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) injections between patients who were treated with aflibercept or ranibizumab for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study based on U.S. administrative claims data. Selected patients had initiated first-line intravitreal anti-VEGF treatment with ranibizumab or aflibercept (index date) between November 18, 2011 and April 30, 2013, were aged ≥ 18 years on the index date, had 12 months of continuous insurance enrollment prior to the index date (baseline period), were diagnosed with wet AMD during the baseline period or on the index date, and had at least 6 or 12 months of follow-up enrollment after the index date without switching to a different anti-VEGF agent (follow-up periods). Outcomes measured within the 6 and 12 month follow-up periods included the number of, and healthcare expenditures on, intravitreal anti-VEGF injections. Multivariable regressions compared the outcomes between aflibercept and ranibizumab.

Results: The 6 months analyses included 319 aflibercept patients and 1,054 ranibizumab patients (12 month analyses: 57 and 374, respectively). Over the first 6 months after the index date, neither the number of injections (aflibercept mean = 3.8 ± 1.6; ranibizumab mean = 3.9 ± 1.9) nor the expenditures on injections (aflibercept mean = $7,468 ± $4,211; ranibizumab mean = $7,816 ± $4,834) differed significantly between aflibercept patients and ranibizumab patients (in multivariable regression treating ranibizumab as reference: incidence rate ratio = 0.97, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.91-1.03, P = 0.277; cost ratio = 0.96, 95% CI 0.89-1.04, P = 0.338). Differences were also insignificant in the 12 month analyses. The overall mean days between injections differed by only 1.8 (95% CI 1.3-2.3) days between the aflibercept patients and ranibizumab patients (42.4 and 40.6, respectively).

Conclusion: Aflibercept and ranibizumab were used at a similar frequency resulting in similar intravitreal anti-VEGF injection healthcare expenditures among wet AMD patients initiating first-line intravitreal anti-VEGF treatment.