OPHT/REGN—An interesting slide [from OPHT’s R&D Day] concerned an 11,000-patient study showing that after two years of vegf injections the patient's vision is actually below the baseline of where they were at the start of treatments.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The studies in OPHT’s slide set were observational, not randomized controlled trials; thus there may have been bias in selecting the databases to include in those studies. Moreover, some patients in the observational studies received little or no treatment beyond two years, so it’s not surprising that mean visual acuity declined to worse than baseline at some point after stopping treatment. No one has asserted that Lucentis/Avastin/Eylea enable a patient to retain the best visual acuity achieved during treatment after treatment is stopped.
Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I knew that many patients stopped responding to treatment after two years, but did not know that it was most of them.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There’s nothing medically special about the two-year time point—it’s simply the duration of VEGF treatment commonly used in practice.
Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
look at your response. you are saying that it is no surprise that the treatment didn't work after treatment stopped after two years. Is it reasonable to you that the doctor who makes money everytime he gives an injection and the patient who would go blind, would voluntarily stop the treatments if they were working.
Doesn't it make more sense the the treatment stops working at about two years, so the doctor gives up and the patient figures that it doesn't make sense to keep coming in to the office for an eye injection if the treatment isn't working.
Saying there is nothing special about the two-year time point, it is just the duration of treatment used in practice, doesn't make sense unless the treatment only works for two years.
I don't think people wake up after two years and say, I delayed blindness for two years, I don't mind going blind now.
