Changing from a pro re nata treatment regimen to a treat and extend regimen with ranibizumab in neovascular age-related XXXX .

@entity1 @entity1020
BACKGROUND: Treat and extend (TE) treatment regimens have the potential to reduce the treatment burden placed upon @entity1 receiving ranibizumab for neovascular age-related @entity1020 (nAMD). This study aimed to analyse changes in best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and anatomical parameters in @entity1 switching from a pro re nata (PRN) to a TE regimen during routine clinical practice. METHODS: Retrospective, consecutive, comparative case series of treatment-na  ve @entity1 who were initially treated with 0.5   mg ranibizumab according to a PRN schedule, and subsequently switched to a TE schedule (12-month follow-up). RESULTS: 146 eyes from 134 consecutive treatment-na  ve @entity1 were included. Mean BCVA (decimal  SD) increased from 0.39  0.23 to 0.55  0.22 (p<0.001) during the PRN loading regimen, declining to 0.49  0.22 (p<0.001) during the PRN maintenance phase (mean duration 17   months; range 3-55). Following the switch to TE, BCVA improved to 0.55  0.23 and 0.56  0.24 by 6 and 12   months, respectively (p<0.001). Mean intraindividual variance in BCVA was higher during the PRN phase than at 12   months for TE (0.30  0.18 vs 0.09  0.08, respectively; p<0.001). After switching to TE, mean central retinal thickness decreased from 355  112     m to 330  105 and 320  103     m at 6 and 12   months, respectively (p<0.001). Mean number of visits per month was higher during PRN than TE periods (1.05  0.13 vs 0.73  0.18; respectively; p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: A TE regimen can improve and stabilise @entity1 outcomes in nAMD compared with PRN, with the potential to reduce the healthcare resource burden incurred from fixed monitoring requirements.
