Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32222903›Full record

SynthesisAdvances in therapy2020

Efficacy and Treatment Burden of Intravitreal Aflibercept Versus Intravitreal Ranibizumab Treat-and-Extend Regimens at 2 Years: Network Meta-Analysis Incorporating Individual Patient Data Meta-Regression and Matching-Adjusted Indirect Comparison.

Masahito Ohji, Paolo Lanzetta, Jean-Francois Korobelnik, Piotr Wojciechowski, Vanessa Taieb, Celine Deschaseaux, Daniel Janer, Claudia Tuckmantel

Open access · hybridAbstract readComparative StudySystematic ReviewNetwork Meta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Advances in therapy, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
26citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
3.8field-weighted citation impact, top 6% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

26 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 36 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  4. Aflibercept 2 mg for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration: XTEND at 3 Years.Ophthalmologica. Journal international d'ophtalmologie. International journal of ophthalmology. Zeitschrift fur Augenheilkunde · 2026
    Observational
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  8. A cost-minimization analysis of anti-VEGFs for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration in the Netherlands.Graefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology = Albrecht von Graefes Archiv fur klinische und experimentelle Ophthalmologie · 2025
    Article
  9. Three-month outcomes of treatment with faricimab or aflibercept for neovascular age-related macular degeneration: a propensity score matching study in a Japanese population.Graefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology = Albrecht von Graefes Archiv fur klinische und experimentelle Ophthalmologie · 2024
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 5 institutions in 5 countries.

Masahito OhjiDepartment of Ophthalmology, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Japan.
Paolo LanzettaDepartment of Medicine, University of Udine, Udine, Italy.
Jean-Francois KorobelnikISPED, Centre INSERM U897-Epidemiologie-Biostatistique, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France.
Piotr WojciechowskiCreativ-Ceutical, Kraków, Poland.
Vanessa TaiebCreativ-Ceutical, London, UK.
Celine DeschaseauxBayer Consumer Care AG, Basel, Switzerland. celine.deschaseaux@bayer.com.
Daniel JanerBayer Consumer Care AG, Basel, Switzerland.
Claudia TuckmantelBayer AG, Wuppertal, Germany.
Bayer (Switzerland) · CHBayer (Germany) · DEInserm · FRShiga University of Medical Science · JPUniversity of Udine · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeTo compare visual outcomes and treatment burden between intravitreally administered aflibercept (IVT-AFL) and ranibizumab (RBZ) treat-and-extend (T&E) regimens in patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (wAMD) at 2 years.

methodsA systematic literature review was carried out in Medline, EMBASE, and CENTRAL in October 2018. Matching-adjusted indirect comparison (MAIC) and/or individual patient data meta-regression was used to connect ALTAIR (assessing IVT-AFL T&E) with other studies, adjusting for between-trial differences in baseline visual acuity and age or baseline visual acuity, age, and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) status. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to test the robustness of the results, including direct MAIC between IVT-AFL T&E (ALTAIR) and RBZ T&E (CANTREAT and TREX-AMD trials).

resultsSix randomized controlled trials (RCTs) (ALTAIR, VIEW 1 and 2, CATT, CANTREAT, and TREX) were included in the analysis. IVT-AFL T&E was assessed in one study, ALTAIR (n = 255), while RBZ T&E was assessed in two trials (n = 327). At 2 years, the median difference (95% credibility interval) between IVT-AFL T&E and RBZ T&E regarding the numbers of Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) letters gained was not significant (M1: - 2.29 [- 8.10, 3.58]; M2: - 0.55 [- 6.34, 5.29]). IVT-AFL T&E was associated with significantly fewer injections than RBZ-T&E (M1: - 6.12 [- 7.60, - 4.65]; M2: - 5.93 [- 7.42, - 4.45]). Results of the sensitivity analyses were consistent with the main scenarios.

conclusionPatients with wAMD receiving an IVT-AFL T&E regimen achieved and maintained improvement in visual acuity with fewer injections over 2 years compared with RBZ T&E. IVT-AFL T&E may therefore serve as the optimal therapy for wAMD, as it was associated with clinical efficacy and minimized treatment burden.

Indexed as

Intravitreal InjectionsAgedAged, 80 and overAngiogenesis InhibitorsFemaleHumansMaleRanibizumabRecombinant Fusion ProteinsTreatment OutcomeVisual AcuityWet Macular DegenerationAngiogenesis InhibitorsRanibizumabRecombinant Fusion ProteinsIntravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapyNetwork meta-analysisOphthalmologyWet age-related macular degeneration

Identifiers

PMID32222903
PMCPMC7467478
OpenAlexW3014011888

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.