Frequency of Bevacizumab and Ranibizumab Injections for Diabetic Macular Edema in Medicare Beneficiaries.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

To describe the frequency and variation of intravitreal bevacizumab (Avastin; Genentech, South San Francisco, CA) and ranibizumab (Lucentis; Genentech, South San Francisco, CA) use for diabetic macular edema (DME) in the United States.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The authors obtained a 5% sample of Medicare beneficiaries from the Medicare Part B claims files from 2010 to 2013 and identified beneficiaries with DME using the ICD-9-CM code (362.07). Geographic variation was examined by comparing injection frequencies of bevacizumab and ranibizumab across U.S. census divisions using Chi-squared analysis.

RESULTS

The sample included 5,290 Medicare beneficiaries with DME. Overall, there was greater bevacizumab use (86.4%) compared to ranibizumab use (13.6%). Frequency of bevacizumab use was highest in the Mountain division (92.2%) and lowest in the Mid-Atlantic (76.0%). The total number of bevacizumab and ranibizumab injections for DME varied significantly between U.S. census divisions (P < .0001).

CONCLUSION

Bevacizumab is used more frequently than ranibizumab for the treatment of DME among Medicare beneficiaries, with significant geographic variation. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2018;49:241-244.].