New data presented at the American Society of Retina Specialists 2024 examine the benefits and adverse event profiles of two therapies recently approved to treat dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and geographic atrophy (GA). These findings, along with early results from agents with new mechanisms of action, are discussed by Dr Arshad Khanani from the University of Nevada.
Dr Khanani begins with the GALE study, which demonstrated that pegcetacoplan (PEG) provided benefit in visual function on a prespecified microperimetry endpoint in patients treated for 3 years, the first time a GA treatment has demonstrated such a benefit.
He then turns to a real-world study of PEG in GA that examined practice patterns and risk for adverse events including intraocular inflammation and retinal vasculitis.
Next, he reports on a post hoc analysis of the GATHER trial that examined whether baseline ellipsoid zone (EZ) integrity features can help predict GA growth rates; patients in this study were treated with avacincaptad pegol. Identifying patients with faster GA growth rates could inform management decisions.
Dr Khanani closes by highlighting studies on two agents with new mechanisms of action. AVD-104, a dual inhibition treatment, showed promise in reducing retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) loss after a single dose. A study of ANX007 showed reductions in both total EZ loss and RPE loss in the central subfield, providing evidence of ANX007's protective effects on the central macular EZ.
