Verner-Cole E A, Davis S J, Lauer A K
Oregon Health and Science University, Department of Ophthalmology, Portland, OR, USA.
Drugs Today (Barc). 2012 May;48(5):317-29. doi: 10.1358/dot.2012.48.5.1805931.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) can have devastating effects on vision, especially in its neovascular form. In the last decade, the use of intravitreal pharmacotherapy targeted to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has significantly improved the visual outcomes in patients with neovascular AMD. Although we have become accustomed to these unprecedented improvement outcomes, maintaining good visual results with anti-VEGF therapy requires tremendous effort, time and cost, typically involving monthly clinic visits and intravitreal injections. The introduction of aflibercept, an anti-VEGF drug that targets all isoforms of VEGF as well as placenta growth factor, has shown promise throughout recent clinical trials as an equally effective treatment for neovascular AMD that requires less frequent dosing than either ranibizumab or bevacizumab. Based on clinical trial results, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved aflibercept in November 2011 for use in neovascular AMD, giving patients the hope of alleviating some of the burden associated with treatment.
年龄相关性黄斑变性（AMD）会对视力产生毁灭性影响，尤其是新生血管型。在过去十年中，针对血管内皮生长因子（VEGF）的玻璃体内药物治疗显著改善了新生血管性AMD患者的视力预后。尽管我们已经习惯了这些前所未有的改善效果，但通过抗VEGF治疗维持良好的视力结果需要付出巨大努力、时间和成本，通常包括每月的门诊就诊和玻璃体内注射。阿柏西普的推出，一种靶向VEGF所有亚型以及胎盘生长因子的抗VEGF药物，在最近的临床试验中显示出有望成为治疗新生血管性AMD的同样有效的药物，且给药频率低于雷珠单抗或贝伐单抗。基于临床试验结果，美国食品药品监督管理局于2011年11月批准阿柏西普用于新生血管性AMD，给患者带来了减轻部分治疗负担的希望。
