Avastin and Lucentis: what do patients know? A prospective questionnaire survey

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Neovascular macular degeneration (nAMD) is a leading cause of vision loss.
• Intravitreal ranibizumab is a licensed therapy for nAMD.
• Bevacizumab is a cheaper, off-label alternative often used for nAMD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess patient knowledge of drug therapies for nAMD.
• To identify patient priorities when considering a switch to an alternative drug.

Main Methods:

• Prospective questionnaire survey of 126 patients undergoing intravitreal ranibizumab therapy for nAMD.
• Questions covered drug names, awareness of alternatives, cost, and willingness to switch.
• Data collected on patient preferences and factors influencing switching decisions.

Main Results:

• 63.5% of patients had heard of ranibizumab (Lucentis); 24.6% were aware of bevacizumab (Avastin).
• Among those aware of bevacizumab, effectiveness (50%) and specialist recommendation (40%) were key factors for switching.
• Cost was not a significant factor for patients considering a switch.

Conclusions:

• Patient awareness of alternative nAMD therapies, such as bevacizumab, is limited.
• Efficacy and clinician recommendation are more important than cost for patients considering switching to off-label bevacizumab.
• This highlights a gap in patient education regarding nAMD treatment options.