ENHANCED EFFICACY ASSOCIATED WITH EARLY TREATMENT OF NEOVASCULAR AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION WITH PEGAPTANIB SODIUM

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Abstract
To assess the vision benefit of treating early subfoveal choroidal neovascularization secondary to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with pegaptanib sodium. Exploratory analyses of week 54 vision outcomes (VEGF Inhibition Study in Ocular Neovascularization study) of subject subgroups with early disease who received 0.3 mg of pegaptanib (Groups 1 [n = 34] and 2 [n = 30]) or sham injections (usual care). Two sets of clinical characteristics typical of early disease defined the subgroups. Baseline characteristics were generally well balanced between treatment arms. Pegaptanib responder rates (loss of or =15 letters of visual acuity versus 4% receiving usual care; 20% of Group 2 pegaptanib-treated subjects gained > or =15 letters of visual acuity versus none of the usual care subjects. Early detection and treatment with pegaptanib may result in superior vision outcomes in patients with neovascular AMD.