[An eye for an eye? Lack of consensus in off-label use of medications leads to major regional differences in medical costs for the treatment of wet AMD in Sweden].

An eye for an eye? Lack of consensus in off-label use of medications leads to major regional differences in medical costs for the treatment of wet AMD in Sweden. The three ocular VEGF inhibitors available in Sweden have similar efficacy and safety. Only two are however registered for wet AMD. The remaining, Avastin, is developed for oncological indications, but used for wet AMD in many parts of the world. Major regional differences exist in the use of Avastin in Sweden. In the three largest cities, it is not used at all. As a consequence, the yearly drug cost for a patient with wet AMD differs from 2 000 to 44 000 SEK. As this difference is not compatible with the Swedish law of "care on equal terms", increased efforts should be made to obtain a national consensus.