Recent trends in anti-vascular endothelial growth factor intravitreal injections: a large claims database study in Japan

PURPOSE: To clarify recent trends in the use of intravitreal injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in Japan. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. METHODS: We used the DeSC database, a large-scale claims database for Japan, for entries between April 2014 and March 2021. We counted the number of anti-VEGF drug injections (aflibercept, ranibizumab, brolucizumab, and pegaptanib) administered every year, calculated the sex- and age-adjusted injection rates, and stratified these rates according to sex, age categories, anti-VEGF drugs, and diagnoses. We also calculated the number of injections administered within one year after the first injection according to the diagnoses. RESULTS: In total, 164,451 cases of anti-VEGF injections were identified. The sex- and age-adjusted rates of anti-VEGF injections per 1000 person-years increased from 7.9 in 2014 to 16.1 in 2020. Men were approximately twice as likely to receive anti-VEGF injections than women. The 70–79, 80–89, and ≥90 age categories had the highest rates, accounting for approximately 80%. Neovascular age-related macular degeneration had the highest rate, accounting for 60–70% over the study period. Aflibercept was the most commonly used drug, accounting for approximately 80% over the study period. The average number of injections within one year after the first injection was 4.4 for neovascular age-related macular degeneration, 2.7 for branch retinal vein occlusion, 3.1 for central retinal vein occlusion, and 3.5 for diabetic macular edema in 2020. CONCLUSION: These findings can be used as a benchmark for the clinical practice of anti-VEGF therapy. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10384-022-00969-2.