Resource Use and Real-World Outcomes for Ranibizumab Treat and Extend for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration in the UK: Interim Results from TERRA.

introductionRanibizumab is an inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor-A (anti-VEGF) approved for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). The treat and extend (T&E) regimen can potentially reduce the burden of clinic visits compared with a pro re nata (PRN) regimen. Retrospective, interim analyses of clinical effectiveness, treatment and resource use patterns were conducted using real-world data in England and Wales from the TERRA study.

methodsTwo cohorts, those switching from a PRN to a T&E regimen ('prior PRN') and those initiating ranibizumab on the T&E regimen as their first anti-VEGF therapy ('anti-VEGF-naïve') were enrolled in TERRA. Retrospective clinical assessments were gathered from medical records, while resource use patterns were collected via an operating cost questionnaire completed by each study site.

resultsAt the interim analysis cut-off date (15 November 2016), 11 sites had enrolled 145 patients (prior PRN: n = 110; anti-VEGF-naïve: n = 35). Mean change from baseline (date of first injection) in visual acuity and central subfield retinal thickness to 12 months was +7.6 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study letters [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.8, 12.4; p = 0.003; n = 27] and -67.7 μm (95% CI -106.5, -28.9; p = 0.001, n = 29), respectively, in the anti-VEGF-naïve cohort. Most T&E clinics were run as one-stop services (same-day monitoring and injection), whereas 4/10 PRN clinics were run as two-stop services (monitoring and injection on different days). In general, one-stop clinics used less staff resources and were likely to be shorter in duration for healthcare providers than the cumulative time spent for two-stop clinics.

conclusionThis is the first real-world observational study conducted in England and Wales demonstrating the effectiveness of the ranibizumab T&E regimen in anti-VEGF-naïve patients. T&E is compatible with one-stop clinic services, which these real-world data suggest to be less resource intensive than two-stop clinic services, possibly providing a dosing regimen beneficial to both patients and resource burden in UK clinical practice.

fundingNovartis Pharmaceuticals UK Limited.