What are they
Anti-angiogenic drugs are the primary therapy for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (wAMD).
Their target is a protein, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which participates in the mechanisms that lead to the proliferation of blood vessels under the retina typical of this eye problem.
By blocking VEGF activity, anti-angiogenic drugs for AMD slow the abnormal growth of blood vessels. The expected effect is the improvement of vision or at least its stabilization.
What are they?
The anti-angiogenic drugs currently indicated in case of AMD are pegaptanib, ranibizumab, and aflibercept.
Pegaptanib was the first anti-VEGF to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of AMD. Currently, however, it is no longer widely used in case of exudative macular degeneration because it is less effective than the other active ingredients available today.
The efficacy of ranibizumab is high: more than 90% of patients involved in clinical trials maintained approximately the same visual abilities after 2 years of treatment; In some patients it has even allowed to recover part of the lost vision.
Aflibercept is a drug produced by recombinant DNA technique and has a completely human structure. It is the latest approved, also in Italy, for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration.
It is administered, like other anti-VEGF, with intravitreal injections and allows to obtain clinical results comparable to other therapies. But with one advantage: the number of seven intravitreal injections over the course of the year.
In practice, after the first three, practiced at a distance of one month from each other, the subsequent injections are made at fixed intervals every two months, without the need for monthly monitoring.
When using
Anti-angiogenic drugs are used to slow vision loss caused by the exudative form of age-related macular degeneration.
They are also indicated in the treatment of macular edema associated with diabetic retinopathy. In general, these drugs find application in the treatment of eye conditions characterized by the growth of new blood vessels in the eye.
How to use them
Anti-angiogenic drugs are injected directly into the eye. Before performing the injection, the eye is anesthetized with appropriate eye drops and the surrounding skin is disinfected to avoid any infections; Then the drug is injected into the gelatinous substance present in the back of the eye, the vitreous, inserting a very thin needle into the sclera, the white part of the eye.
It is not excluded that after the injection the use of antibiotic eye drops is prescribed.
Typically, treatment involves one injection per month, but the frequency of administration may vary from patient to patient and also depends on the active ingredient used.
Joycelyn Elders is the author and creator of EmpowerEssence, a health and wellness blog. Elders is a respected public health advocate and pediatrician dedicated to promoting general health and well-being.
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