ArticleJournal of managed care & specialty pharmacy2025
Assessing variation in US payer coverage of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapies for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and diabetic macular edema.
Article in Journal of managed care & specialty pharmacy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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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.
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.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Adoption patterns of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapies in retinal disease.Graefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology = Albrecht von Graefes Archiv fur klinische und experimentelle Ophthalmologie · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundTimely anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy is recommended to preserve vision in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy (DR), and diabetic macular edema (DME). Coverage of anti-VEGF agents for the treatment of retinal diseases varies, resulting in administrative burdens for providers and treatment delays for patients.
objectiveTo examine how US commercial and Medicare Advantage (MA) health plans cover anti-VEGF therapies for the treatment of retinal diseases using information from the Tufts Medical Center Specialty Drug Evidence and Coverage Database.
methodsThis descriptive study evaluated coverage of US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved anti-VEGF drugs for AMD, DR, and DME current as of April 2024 using the Specialty Drug Evidence and Coverage Database from 18 of the largest US commercial health plans and MA offerings from a subset of 6 of these plans.
resultsSubstantial variation exists in commercial coverage across FDA-approved anti-VEGF therapies for AMD, DR, and DME. Descriptive assessment showed that approximately 65% of commercial coverage decisions and approximately 52% of MA decisions included restrictions beyond the FDA label. Coverage decisions for originator products were more likely to include restrictions compared with those for biosimilar products. Step therapy protocols were found in up to 75% of plans but were variable by drug, with most requiring a first-line trial of bevacizumab. Evidence cited to support coverage restrictions was likewise variable.
conclusionsDescriptive data show that US commercial and MA coverage and step therapy protocols vary substantially across health plans, which may potentially contribute to administrative burdens and treatment delays.
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Registered trials
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