A safety evaluation of ranibizumab in patients with wet age-related macular degeneration

Abstract

The main pathology of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the development of choroidal neovascularization( CNV),and the critical role of VEGF in the pathogenesis of CNV is well established.Ranibizumab is a fragment of a humanized and monoclonal antibody.It can binds to VEGF,thereby,inhibiting the angiogenesis.Some clinical trials have proved the clinical efficacy of ranibizumab via intravitreal injection for wet AMD.On the other hand,ranibizumab is well tolerated for wet AMD patients after administration and is not associated with a clinically significant risk of ocular or systemic adverse events.The large-scale clinical trials showed that its principal ocular adverse event occurred in ＜4％ of ranibizumab-treated patients,including the transient elevation of intraocular pressure and mild ocular inflammation.It appears unlikely that application of ranibizumab does not increase the risk of vascular event significantly.Less-frequent injections on an as-needed schedule based on monthly monitoring may have the most optimal risk/benefit ratio.This article summarized the recent clinical trials of ranibizumab and offered high-quality evidences for the safety evaluation of ranibizumab treating wet AMD. Key words: Wet age-related macular degeneration; Ranibizumab; Safety; Intravitreal injection; Evidence-based medicine; Systematic review