Intravitreal anti-VEGF use not tied to systemic adverse events

Intravitreal anti-VEGF use not tied to systemic adverse events

(HealthDay)—Intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) treatment is not associated with increased risk of systemic adverse events for patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration, diabetic macular edema, or retinal vein occlusion, according to a review published online March 22 in JAMA Ophthalmology.

Marie Thulliez, M.D., from Bretonneau Hospital in Tours, France, and colleagues conducted a to examine systemic adverse events associated with intravitreal anti-VEGF treatments in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration, , or . Twenty-one systematic reviews were retrieved; 11 of these analyzed systemic adverse events as the primary outcome.

The researchers found that, compared with control regimens, anti-VEGF treatments did not increase the risk of systemic adverse events. The risk of systemic adverse events was also not increased when treatment was given on a monthly versus as-needed schedule. In the most recent and exhaustive reviews, bevacizumab was not associated with an increase in the risk of systemic adverse events compared with ranibizumab. In patients with age-related macular degeneration, ranibizumab may be associated with increased risk of nonocular hemorrhage compared with control treatments.

"This overview of reviews and meta-analyses suggest that anti-VEGF treatments do not increase the risk of systemic adverse events, but that caution might be advisable in older patients with who may be at higher risk of hemorrhagic events when receiving ranibizumab," the authors write.

One author disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

More information: Abstract/Full Text

Journal information: JAMA Ophthalmology

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Citation: Intravitreal anti-VEGF use not tied to systemic adverse events (2018, March 26) retrieved 29 March 2024 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-03-intravitreal-anti-vegf-tied-adverse-events.html
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