Anti–Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Drugs for Retinal Conditions

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Project Line:
Health Technology Review
Project Number:
TR0009-000

As the Canadian population ages, retinal conditions are likely to be increasingly encountered in clinical practice. Drugs acting on a protein called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) have been shown to be effective in the treatment of these conditions. Whether the use of different anti-VEGF drugs results in important clinical differences is unclear.

CADTH has undertaken a therapeutic review comparing the clinical effectiveness and relative cost of three anti-VEGF drugs (aflibercept, bevacizumab, ranibizumab) that are commonly used to treat the following retinal conditions: age-related macular degeneration (AMD), choroidal neovascularization (CNV), diabetic macular edema (DME), pathologic myopia (PM), and retinal vein occlusion (RVO). The therapeutic review project includes a science report (clinical and economic evaluations) and a recommendations report.

Patient Input

CADTH included patient group input in its process for the therapeutic review of anti-VEGF drugs for retinal conditions. The submitted patient group input identified health outcomes and issues of importance to patients, and their unmet needs. The patient input was systematically incorporated into this therapeutic review, informing the process from the project protocol stage through to the CADTH Canadian Drug Expert Committee in making its recommendation(s) based on this therapeutic review.

Patient Summary