Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of different agents, dosages and strategies of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) by network meta-analysis.
Methods: Electronic database searches were conducted on PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials up to 1 December 2019 to `identify relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The standardized mean difference (SMD), odds ratios (OR), 95% confidence intervals (CI), the surface under the cumulative ranking curves and the mean ranks of each outcome were estimated by Stata 14.0.
Results: Forty-seven RCTs encompassing 17 872 nAMD patients randomly assigned to 36 regimens of anti-VEGF agents or sham treatment were included. T&E strategy shows top-level effect both in BCVA changes and the percentage of patients with a gain of 3 lines or more of BCVA. When taking the same strategy, there is no significant difference of efficacy among ranibizumab, bevacizumab and aflibercept (p > 0.05); The combination of radiation, topical NSAIDs and photodynamic therapy (PDT) might provide additional benefit in central retinal thickness (CRT) reduction; all these therapeutic regimens of different anti-VEGF agents do not significantly increase the risk of severe ocular or cardiocerebral vascular adverse events (ADEs) compared with sham treatment (p > 0.05).
Conclusions: T&E strategy showed a satisfactory effect in visual improvement and there is no significant difference in efficacy or safety among ranibizumab, bevacizumab and aflibercept. All the included regimens have an acceptable risk of ADEs.
Keywords: aflibercept; anti-vascular endothelial growth factors; bevacizumab; neovascular age-related macular degeneration; network meta-analysis; ranibizumab.
© 2021 Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.