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Short-term results for brolucizumab in treatment-naïve neovascular age-related macular degeneration: a Japanese multicenter study

Japanese Journal of Ophthalmology volume 66, pages 379–385 (2022)Cite this article

Abstract

Purpose

To investigate short-term treatment outcomes of intravitreal brolucizumab (IVBr) for treatment-naïve neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in a Japanese multicenter study.

Study design

Retrospective case control study

Methods

The subjects were 58 eyes of 57 patients with neovascular AMD (43 men and 14 women, mean age 74.6 years) of whom 43 eyes of 42 patients completed initial loading of 3 monthly IVBr injections and were followed for more than 3 months. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) changes, anatomical outcomes, and complications were investigated.

Results

Of the 43 eyes that completed loading doses, the AMD subtype was type 1 and type 2 macular neovascularization (MNV) in 51%, polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) in 42%, and type 3 MNV in 7%. At 3 months after initiating treatment, BCVA significantly improved (P = 0.002) and central retinal thickness significantly decreased (P < 0.0001). At 3 months, complete retinal and subretinal fluid resolution was achieved in 91% of all eyes and complete regression of polypoidal lesions was achieved in 82% of PCV eyes. Iritis occurred in 8 eyes of 8 patients (14%), but resolved using topical or subtenon corticosteroid injection without visual loss in all cases.

Conclusions

IVBr for treatment-naïve neovascular AMD was effective in the short-term, achieving significantly improved BCVA, good retinal fluid resolution, and a high rate of polypoidal lesion regression. However, iritis was noted in 14% of patients which may limit use of this drug.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

    Koji Tanaka, Hajime Onoe, Yu Wakatsuki & Ryusaburo Mori

  2. Department of Ophthalmology, Graduate School of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan

    Hideki Koizumi, Tamaki Tamashiro, Sorako Wakugawa & Nobuhiro Terao

  3. Department of Ophthalmology, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan

    Kanako Itagaki, Akihito Kasai, Masashi Ogasawara, Hiroaki Shintake, Yukinori Sugano & Tetsuju Sekiryu

  4. Department of Ophthalmology, Kyorin University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

    Makiko Nakayama, Akiko Yamamoto, Keiko Kataoka & Annabelle A. Okada

  5. Department of Ophthalmology, Tokyo Women’s Medical University, Tokyo, Japan

    Ichiro Maruko, Taiji Hasegawa, Takahiko Izumi, Moeko Kawai, Ruka Maruko & Tomohiro Iida

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  1. Koji Tanaka
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Koji Tanaka.

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Conflicts of interest

K. Tanaka, None; H. Koizumi, None; T. Tamashiro, None; K. Itagaki, None; M. Nakayama, None; I. Maruko, None; S. Wakugawa, None; N. Terao, None; H. Onoe, None; Y. Wakatsuki, None; A. Kasai, None; M. Ogasawara, None; H. Shintake, None; Y. Sugano, None; A. Yamamoto, None; K. Kataoka, None; T. Hasegawa, None; T. Izumi, None; M. Kawai, None; R. Maruko, None; T. Sekiryu, None; A. A. Okada, None; T. Iida, None; R. Mori, None.

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Corresponding Author: Koji Tanaka

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Tanaka, K., Koizumi, H., Tamashiro, T. et al. Short-term results for brolucizumab in treatment-naïve neovascular age-related macular degeneration: a Japanese multicenter study. Jpn J Ophthalmol 66, 379–385 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10384-022-00922-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10384-022-00922-3

Keywords

  • Age-related macular degeneration
  • Polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy
  • Brolucizumab
  • Multicenter study
  • Treatment