Lihteh Wu1, Arnaldo F Bordon2, Martin Charles3, Francisco J Rodríguez4, JinKyung Lee5, Tobias Machewitz5, Margarete Mueller5, Gabriela Del Carmen Gay6, Jans Fromow-Guerra7. 1. Asociados de Macula, Vitreo y Retina de Costa Rica, Primer Piso Torre Mercedes, Calle 24, Paseo Colon, San José, 10102, Costa Rica. lihteh@gmail.com. 2. Hospital Oftalmológico de Sorocaba, R. Nabek Shiroma, 210 - Jarim Emilia, Sorocaba, SP, 18031-060, Brazil. 3. Centro Oftalmológico Dr Charles, 841, C116 ABA, Riobamba, Buenos Aires, Argentina. 4. Fundación Oftalmológíca, Universidad del Rosario School of Medicine, Cl. 50 ##13-50, 110231, Bogotá, Colombia. 5. Bayer AG, 13342, Berlin, Germany. 6. Bayer SA, Doctor Ricardo Gutiérrez 3652, B1605EHD, Munro, Buenos Aires, Argentina. 7. Macula Retina Consultores, Calle Sur 132, Las Américas, Álvaro Obregón, 01120, Mexico City, Mexico.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: AQUILA (NCT03470103) was a prospective, observational, 12-month cohort study evaluating treatment patterns, clinical effectiveness, and safety of intravitreal aflibercept (IVT-AFL) in patients from Latin America with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). METHODS: Treatment-naïve and previously treated (switching to IVT-AFL) patients (aged ≥ 55 years) were enrolled from March 2018, with a primary completion date of September 2020, from Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Mexico. Patients received IVT-AFL in a routine clinical practice setting. RESULTS: Of 274 patients in the full analysis set, 201 were treatment-naïve and 73 had received previous treatment. The mean ± standard deviation number of IVT-AFL injections received by month 12 was 4.2 ± 1.9 (treatment-naïve) and 5.2 ± 2.7 (previously treated). The median duration from diagnosis to IVT-AFL treatment was 1.2 months (treatment-naïve) and 19.5 months (previously treated). Mean best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) (Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study [ETDRS] letters) improved from baseline to month 12 by + 5.2 ± 18.3 (treatment-naïve; baseline: 48.2 ± 23.5) and + 3.1 ± 15.3 letters (previously treated; baseline: 47.7 ± 21.4). CONCLUSION: AQUILA is the first study to assess the use of IVT-AFL in routine clinical practice in Latin America. Mean BCVA and other visual acuity outcomes improved in both treatment groups, despite many patients not receiving the IVT-AFL label-recommended regimen of three initial monthly doses, or seven or more injections in 12 months. Patients who did receive the label-recommended number of injections had numerically greater improvements in visual acuity outcomes. Patients with nAMD treated regularly and more frequently with IVT-AFL, therefore, have the potential to achieve outcomes consistent with those observed in interventional studies. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT03470103. Registered February 5, 2018, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03470103.
BACKGROUND: AQUILA (NCT03470103) was a prospective, observational, 12-month cohort study evaluating treatment patterns, clinical effectiveness, and safety of intravitreal aflibercept (IVT-AFL) in patients from Latin America with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). METHODS: Treatment-naïve and previously treated (switching to IVT-AFL) patients (aged ≥ 55 years) were enrolled from March 2018, with a primary completion date of September 2020, from Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Mexico. Patients received IVT-AFL in a routine clinical practice setting. RESULTS: Of 274 patients in the full analysis set, 201 were treatment-naïve and 73 had received previous treatment. The mean ± standard deviation number of IVT-AFL injections received by month 12 was 4.2 ± 1.9 (treatment-naïve) and 5.2 ± 2.7 (previously treated). The median duration from diagnosis to IVT-AFL treatment was 1.2 months (treatment-naïve) and 19.5 months (previously treated). Mean best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) (Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study [ETDRS] letters) improved from baseline to month 12 by + 5.2 ± 18.3 (treatment-naïve; baseline: 48.2 ± 23.5) and + 3.1 ± 15.3 letters (previously treated; baseline: 47.7 ± 21.4). CONCLUSION: AQUILA is the first study to assess the use of IVT-AFL in routine clinical practice in Latin America. Mean BCVA and other visual acuity outcomes improved in both treatment groups, despite many patients not receiving the IVT-AFL label-recommended regimen of three initial monthly doses, or seven or more injections in 12 months. Patients who did receive the label-recommended number of injections had numerically greater improvements in visual acuity outcomes. Patients with nAMD treated regularly and more frequently with IVT-AFL, therefore, have the potential to achieve outcomes consistent with those observed in interventional studies. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT03470103. Registered February 5, 2018, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03470103.
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