Overview of Anti-VEGF Treatments for AMD and DME

Transcript

Ehsan Rahimy, MD: Hello, and welcome to this HCPLive® Peer Exchange titled “Optimizing Anti-VEGF Treatment Outcomes in Neovascular AMD and DME.” I’m Dr Ehsan Rahimy, a vitreoretinal specialist at Palo Alto Medical Foundation in Palo Alto, California. Let’s introduce our esteemed panel. Ali, do you want to go first?

Ali Khan, MD, FACS, FASRS: Hi, everybody. My name is Ali Khan. I’m happy to be here. I recently moved back to California in Granite Bay and I’m excited for the conversation.

Ehsan Rahimy, MD: Welcome. Veeral?

Veeral Sheth, MD, MBA, FASRS, FACS: I’mVeeral Sheth from Chicago. I’ve been practicing here for 10 years or so, and I teach at the University of Illinois.

Ehsan Rahimy, MD: Welcome. Last but not least, we have Jon.

Jonathan Jonisch, MD: I’m excited to be here. I’m Jon Jonisch with Vitreoretinal Consultants of NY on Long Island. I’ve also been practicing for a little over 10 years. I’m excited to talk about AMD [age-related macular degeneration] and DME [diabetic macular edema]. Let’s get into it.

Ehsan Rahimy, MD: Absolutely. Our discussion will focus on the long-term experience with anti-VEGF therapies for neovascular AMD and diabetic macular edema. We’ll also share the latest evidence-based strategies and practical tools to improve outcomes for patients with these diseases. Let’s get started.

We’ll begin with our long-term experiences with anti-VEGF therapies. Jon, I’m going to kick this to you first. Anti-VEGF treatments have been available for AMD and DME for over a decade. At a high-level overview, how have they impacted patient outcomes for patients we take care of on a day-to-day basis?

Jonathan Jonisch, MD: In the retina space, it’s hard to overestimate the impact that anti-VEGF has had on the quality of life of our patients with retinal diseases. From a high level, anti-VEGF therapy decreases vascular permeability and leakage, and it decreases angiogenesis and pathological neovascularization. That benefits patients with many diseases, including AMD and DME. In study after study, when we look at the impact, these therapies have significantly reduced the incidence of blindness throughout the world—up to 50% in a study out of Denmark, and we’ve seen similar results in the United States, Japan, and Europe. It’s hard to overstate. It has become a mainstay in our daily lives, and all of us have seen the impact day in and day out on the lives and the quality of life of our patients.

Transcript edited for clarity.