Low Doses of Bevacizumab Tested for Retinopathy of Prematurity
FRIDAY, April 24, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- For treatment of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), 0.004 mg may be the lowest effective dose of bevacizumab, according to a study published online April 23 in JAMA Ophthalmology.
David K. Wallace, M.D., from the Jaeb Center for Health Research in Tampa, Florida, and colleagues sought to find the lowest dose of intravitreous bevacizumab effective for severe ROP using data from 55 premature infants with type 1 ROP in one or both eyes who were enrolled in a masked, multicenter, dose de-escalation study (April 2017 to May 2019). Analysis included four-week outcomes.
The researchers found that the mean birth weight was 664 g, and the mean gestational age was 24.8 weeks. All eyes (13 of 13) receiving 0.016 mg achieved a successful four-week outcome, as did nine of nine eyes receiving 0.008 mg, and nine of 10 eyes receiving 0.004 mg. However, only 17 of 23 eyes (74 percent) achieved successful four-week outcomes receiving 0.002 mg.
"Further investigation is warranted to confirm effectiveness of very low-dose intravitreous bevacizumab and its effect on plasma vascular endothelial growth factor levels and peripheral retinal vascularization," the authors write.
