Treat and extend effective in diabetic macular edema

Two-year results from the RETAIN study presented at Retina Subspecialty Day show that treat-and-extend dosing is equivalent to prn dosing for diabetic macular edema.

RETAIN was a two-year randomized, controlled phase 3b study that included 372 patients with diabetic macular edema randomized to one of three treatment groups: ranibizumab administered according to a treat-and-extend protocol plus laser photocoagulation on day one, ranibizumab administered by treat-and-extend, and  ranibizumab dosed prn.

In the treat-and-extend groups, patients were treated with monthly ranibizumab until BCVA remained stable for three months before treatment-free intervals were extended incrementally by one month, with a maximum treatment interval of three months.

If a decrease in BCVA was observed due to DME at a treat-and-extend visit, patients were again treated with monthly ranibizumab until BCVA remained stable for three monthly visits, before treatment was extended.

Investigators found that a treat-and-extend regimen offered a 40 percent decrease in patient visits, and that 70 percent of patients experienced a treatment-free interval of more than two months.