Three year outcomes and the need for prolonged frequent treatment in the READ-2 study of ranibizumab for diabetic macular oedema

Source: Arch Opthalmol
Area: News
The 'Ranibizumab for Edema of the Macula in Diabetes' (READ-2) study is a phase II randomised clinical trial conducted at 14 sites in the US that involved patients with diabetic macular oedema assigned to intraocular injections of ranibizumab or focal/ grid laser treatment (laser group), or a combination of ranibizumab and focal/ grid laser treatment (ranibizumab_laser group). At the month 6 primary end point, patients in the ranibizumab group showed a mean improvement in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) which was statistically significantly greater than that seen in laser group patients (7.2 vs. ?0.4 letters, P<0.001), whereas patients in the ranibizumab _laser group had a mean improvement of 3.8 letters (P=0.08).   After the primary end point, patients in the ranibizumab group were seen every 2 months, and, if foveal thickness (FTH, center subfield thickness) was ?250 microm, they were treated with ranibizumab, 0.5 mg. Patients in the laser group were seen every 2 ...