Efficacy of intravitreal aflibercept injections for Japanese patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of intravitreal aflibercept therapy in treatment-naïve Japanese patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) using Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) letter scores. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This study was a prospective, nonrandomized, interventional exploratory clinical trial performed in an institutional setting. Patients with PCV were treated with intravitreal aflibercept 2 mg/0.05 mL every 2 months after 3 initial monthly doses, for 1 year. Visual acuity test using the ETDRS chart and indocyanine green angiography was performed at baseline and at 6 and 12 months after initiating the treatment, in addition to routine examinations performed at each visit. The main outcome measure was the proportion of patients who achieved <15 ETDRS letter score loss. RESULTS: Twenty-two patients were enrolled in this study. Nineteen (86%) patients were eligible for analysis. All the patients maintained their visual acuity (<15 ETDRS letter score loss) at 12 months. The ETDRS letter scores were 64.1 at baseline and 69.8 at 12 months (P<0.039). The polyps regressed completely in 14 (74%) patients at 12 months. Cataract progressed in 1 eye, but this progression was considered to be a senile change. CONCLUSIONS: Japanese patients with treatment-naïve PCV, who were treated with intravitreal aflibercept every 2 months after 3 initial monthly doses, exhibited a significant increase in ETDRS letter scores and a high rate of polyp resolution at 12 months.