Initiating Avastin treatment with a loading dose appears mandatory to obtain good outcomes in AMD patients

This prospective study evaluated two treatment options in 50 consecutive patients with wet AMD. Half of the patients received Avastin once a month for three months and thereafter as needed (loading dose group). In the other half, Avastin was administered on an as needed basis after the first injection (PRN group).

In both groups, the need for re-treatment was based on the presence of persistent or recurrent macular edema, subretinal fluid or pigment epithelial detachment on optical coherence tomography.

At six months follow-up, 36 percent of patients in the LD group compared with 12 percent in the PRN group gained 15 or more letters. Mean foveal thickness decreased by 91.3 µm in the LD group and 48.2 µm in the PRN group.