Background/aims: The present study evaluates the burden of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) to Healthcare System and patients, describing the management and treatment effectiveness in routine clinical practice in Spain.
Methods: Observational, non-interventional, cross-sectional, retrospective (24 months), multicentre study including patients who started treatment with licensed vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors (anti-VEGF) for nAMD with a minimum follow up of 24 months.
Results: 126 evaluable patients were included with mean (SD) age of 79.1 (7.5) years. From diagnosis, it took a mean (SD) of 0.5 (0.5) months for the first treatment. Throughout 24 months, mean (SD) number of visits per patient was 16.0 (5.0), 9.4 (4.3) associated intravitreal injection. There were 1186 injection visits, 53.6% of them only with injection and 46.3% with injection and tests. After loading phase, preferred treatment regimens were T&E (46.0%), PRN (44.4%), fixed regimen (4.0%), and others (5.6%). Total number of visits in patients with T&E and PRN were 16.5 (5.7) and 15.5 (4.7), respectively. After complete loading phase, mean (SD) time between two consecutive treatment injections was 2.2 (1.6) months. 27.8% patients underwent a treatment change, being lack of response the most frequent reason to change (43.2%). Mean (SD) best-corrected visual acuity change was 2.1 (15.9) letters at 24 months.
Conclusion: This study showed an important burden to Healthcare System and patients related to monitoring visits. More efficacious and longer lasting treatments could be useful to increase treatment intervals, thus reducing the burden of patients and caregivers and the use of healthcare resources.
Keywords: Anti-VEGF; Spain; burden of disease; real-world outcomes; wet macular degeneration.