Two-Year Results of the Phase 3 Randomized Controlled Study of Abicipar in Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Purpose: To report the 2-year efficacy and safety of abicipar every 8 weeks and quarterly (after initial doses) compared with monthly ranibizumab in patients with treatment-naive neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). Design: Two multicenter, randomized, phase 3 clinical trials with identical protocols (CEDAR and SEQUOIA). Analyses used pooled trial data. Participants: The trials enrolled 1888 patients (1 eye/patient) with active choroidal neovascularization secondary to age-related macular degeneration and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of 24 to 73 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study letters. Methods: At enrollment, patients were assigned to study eye treatment with abicipar 2 mg every 8 weeks after initial doses at baseline and weeks 4 and 8 (abicipar Q8, n = 630), abicipar 2 mg every 12 weeks after initial doses at baseline and weeks 4 and 12 (abicipar Q12, n = 628), or ranibizumab 0.5 mg every 4 weeks (ranibizumab Q4, n = 630). Main Outcome Measures: Efficacy measures included stable vision(<15-letter loss in BCVA from baseline) and change from baseline in BCVA and central retinal thickness (CRT). Safety measures included adverse events (AEs). Results: For patients who completed the study, efficacy of abicipar after initial doses was maintained through week 104. At week 104, the proportion of patients with stable vision was 93.0% (396/426), 89.8% (379/422), and 94.4% (470/498); mean change in BCVA from baseline was +7.8 letters, +6.1 letters, and +8.5 letters, and mean change in CRT from baseline was -147 mu m, -146 mu m, and -142 mu m in the abicipar Q8 (14 injections), abicipar Q12 (10 injections), and ranibizumab Q4 (25 injections) groups, respectively. The overall incidence of intraocular inflammation (IOI) AEs was 15.4%, 15.3%, and 0.3% from baseline through week 52 and 16.2%, 17.6%, and 1.3% from baseline through week 104 in the abicipar Q8, abicipar Q12, and ranibizumab Q4 groups, respectively. Conclusions: Two-year results show efficacy of abicipar Q8 and Q12 in nAMD. First onset of IOI events with abicipar was much reduced in the second year and comparable with ranibizumab (0.8% and 2.3% vs. 1.0%). The extended duration of effect of abicipar allows for quarterly dosing and reduced treatment burden. (C) 2020 by the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Automated summary

The 2-year results demonstrate the efficacy of abicipar every 8 weeks and quarterly in nAMD patients. Despite the potential for intraocular inflammation (IOI) events, the incidence was reduced in the second year and comparable to ranibizumab.