Bayer has announced two-year data which reconfirm the use of proactive Treat and Extend (T&E) dosing regimens with Eylea (aflibercept) solution for patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD), a leading cause of sight loss.

The intravitreal injection data is from the Phase IIIb/IV ARIES study, with further results from an indirect comparison of published randomised clinical trials in wet AMD on either the anti-VEGF treatments aflibercept or ranibizumab.

The data showed that more than half of patients were extended to injection intervals of 12 weeks or beyond and up to a third of patients were extended to injection intervals of 16 weeks by Week 104.

“Treating wet AMD has a profound impact on the capacity of overstretched NHS services as well as the lives of those living with the condition and their caregivers,” said Dr Jackie Napier, medical director of ophthalmology at Bayer.

She continued, “These data are important as they reconfirm the existing evidence for proactive T&E regimen with aflibercept and offer clinicians the possibility of minimising the number of injections that need to be administered for sight-saving treatment.

“For some patients this could result in receiving just three injections in the second year of treatment which could relieve some of service pressures and patient burden associated with treatment.”

Wet AMD is a serious and debilitating sight-threatening condition that requires ongoing treatment to prevent the worsening of symptoms, with approximately 39,800 new cases diagnosed each year in the UK.

Under a T&E regimen, after a set number of initial doses, clinicians can adjust the treatment schedule to the individual needs of every patient, by gradually extending or shortening the injection dosing interval, based on the patient’s disease activity.