Customized injections may improve neovascular AMD treatment outcomes

The effectiveness of conbercept varies depending on the level of inflammation in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD), suggesting that tailoring injection frequencies based on inflammation levels could optimize treatment outcomes, according to a study.

In the study, 120 consecutive patients underwent a regimen of 3 conbercept injections per month, with additional injections administered on an as-needed basis (3 + PRN). They were stratified based on their intraocular high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels, categorizing inflammation as low, medium, or high.

Both best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central retinal thickness (CRT) exhibited significant variations across the low, medium, and high inflammation tertiles. Improvements in BCVA were observed from baseline, accompanied by a notable decline in CRT after the conbercept injections. Adverse events were most prevalent in the high inflammation tertiles.

There was also a reduction in vascular endothelial growth factor, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-8 levels after 1 year of treatment.

Reference
Zhang X, Zhuang X, Dong J, et al. Clinical efficacy of conbercept injection on neovascular age-related macular degeneration under different levels of inflammation. Adv Clin Exp Med. 2023;doi: 10.17219/acem/168808. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37747440.