The Price of Sight — Ranibizumab, Bevacizumab, and the Treatment of Macular Degeneration
Abstract
Interview with Frederick L. Ferris III on ranibizumab (Lucentis) and bevacizumab (Avastin) for age-related macular degeneration. (06:33)Download On June 30, 2006, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ranibizumab — which is manufactured by Genentech and marketed as Lucentis — for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Ranibizumab is a fragment of a recombinant monoclonal antibody (see Figure 1) that binds to and inhibits all the biologically active forms of vascular endothelial growth factor A. Administered by injection into the vitreous cavity (see Figure 2), ranibizumab prevents vision loss and improves visual acuity, with few serious adverse effects (as indicated in the reports by Rosenfeld et al. and Brown et al. in this issue of the Journal, pages . . .
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Differences in visual acuity score between ranibizumab-treated and control groups were considerable, with a mean increase of 7 letters in the treated group compared with a decrease of 10 letters in the placebo, sham-injected group (P < 0.001).
“Differences in visual acuity score in the treated and control groups were considerable, with a mean increase of 7 letters in the treated group compared with a decrease of 10 letters in the placebo, sham-injected group (P < 0.001) (144).”
From Unraveling a Multifactorial Late-Onset Disease: From Genetic Susceptibility to Disease Mechanisms for Age-Related Macular Degeneration (2009) · cites this paper as [144]
Before FDA approval of ranibizumab, some ophthalmologists had begun to use bevacizumab to treat neovascular age-related macular degeneration.
“Before the FDA approval of this drug, some ophthalmologists had begun to use a closely related monoclonal antibody, bevacizumab, to treat neovascular age-related macular degeneration”
From Age-related macular degeneration (2008) · cites this paper as [166]
Cites
Ranibizumab for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Rosenfeld, P. J., Brown, D. M., Heier, J. S., Boyer, D. S., Kaiser, P. K., Chung, C. Y., & Kim, R. Y. (2006) · New England Journal of Medicine · doi:10.1056/nejmoa054481 · Cited by 5,886 · see citing works
Ranibizumab versus Verteporfin for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Brown, D. M., Kaiser, P. K., Michels, M., Soubrane, G., Heier, J. S., Kim, R. Y., Sy, J. P., & Schneider, S. (2006) · New England Journal of Medicine · doi:10.1056/nejmoa062655 · Cited by 3,522 · see citing works
Age-related macular degeneration
de Jong, P. T. V. M. (2006) · New England Journal of Medicine · doi:10.1056/nejmra062326 · Cited by 787 · see citing works
Bashshur, Z. F., Bazarbachi, A. A., Schakal, A., Haddad, Z. A., El-Haibi, C. P., & Noureddin, B. N. (2006) · American Journal of Ophthalmology · doi:10.1016/j.ajo.2006.02.037 · Cited by 305 · see citing works
Intravitreal Avastin: The Low Cost Alternative to Lucentis?
Rosenfeld, P. J. (2006) · American Journal of Ophthalmology · doi:10.1016/j.ajo.2006.03.036 · Cited by 120 · see citing works
A Very Effective Treatment for Neovascular Macular Degeneration
Stone, E. M. (2006) · New England Journal of Medicine · doi:10.1056/nejme068191 · Cited by 65 · see citing works
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Age-related macular degeneration
Coleman, H. R., Chan, C.-C., Ferris, F. L., & Chew, E. Y. (2008) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(08)61759-6 · Cited by 542 · see citing works
Swaroop, A., Chew, E. Y., Bowes Rickman, C., & Abecasis, G. R. (2009) · Annual Review of Genomics and Human Genetics · doi:10.1146/annurev.genom.9.081307.164350 · Cited by 270 · see citing works
Elimination of Neoangiogenesis for Plaque Stabilization
Kolodgie, F. D., Narula, J., Yuan, C., Burke, A. P., Finn, A. V., & Virmani, R. (2007) · Journal of the American College of Cardiology · doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2006.10.083 · Cited by 96 · see citing works
Klettner, A., & Roider, J. (2009) · Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology · doi:10.1007/s00417-009-1139-x · Cited by 74 · see citing works
Lack of thrombospondin 1 and exacerbation of choroidal neovascularization
Wang, S., Sorenson, C. M., & Sheibani, N. (2012) · Archives of Ophthalmology · doi:10.1001/archopthalmol.2011.1892 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
Multifunctional microbubbles for image-guided antivascular endothelial growth factor therapy
Zhang, L., Xu, J. S., Sanders, V. E., Letson, A. D., Roberts, C. J., & Xu, R. X. (2010) · Journal of Biomedical Optics · doi:10.1117/1.3457669 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
- Authors
- Steinbrook, R.
- Affiliations
- Dr. Steinbrook () is a national correspondent for the Journal.
- Corresponding author
- Steinbrook, Robert
- Venue
- New England Journal of Medicine
- Publisher
- Massachusetts Medical Society
- Published
- 2006-10-05
- Volume
- 355
- Issue
- 14
- Pages
- 1409-1412
- ISSN
- 0028-4793 (ISSN-L)
- 1533-4406
- OpenAlex
- W1975926216
- Cited by
- 255
- References
- 6
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 15 · 2013: 12 · 2012: 23
- FWCI
- 23.92
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- New England Journal of Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Ophthalmology › Retinal Diseases and Treatments
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Retinal and Macular Surgery
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Ophthalmology › Ocular Diseases and Behçet’s Syndrome
- Keywords
- ranibizumab, bevacizumab, age-related macular degeneration, neovascular age-related macular degeneration, anti-VEGF therapy, VEGF-A, drug pricing, FDA approval, visual acuity, adverse effects
- MeSH terms
- Bevacizumab, Ranibizumab, Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humans, Injections, Macular Degeneration, Angiogenesis Inhibitors, Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
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