Efficacy and safety of ranibizumab 0.5 mg in Chinese patients with visual impairment due to diabetic macular edema: results from the 12-month REFINE study.

PURPOSE: To demonstrate the efficacy and safety of ranibizumab 0.5 mg pro re nata (PRN) versus laser photocoagulation for the treatment of Chinese patients with visual impairment due to diabetic macular edema (DME). METHODS: REFINE was a phase III, 12-month, double-masked, multicenter, laser-controlled study in patients (aged ≥ 18 years) with DME. Patients were randomized 4:1 to receive either ranibizumab 0.5 mg or laser dosing regimen. Efficacy was evaluated as mean average change in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) from Months 1 to 12 versus baseline (primary endpoint), anatomical outcomes, treatment exposure, and safety were also assessed. RESULTS: Ranibizumab was statistically superior (p < 0.001) to laser treatment, with a mean average BCVA gain of 6.8 letters (ranibizumab) over 12 months versus 1.1 letters (laser). At Month 12, mean BCVA gain was 7.8 letters (ranibizumab) and 2.5 letters (laser) from baseline. Patients in the ranibizumab arm received a mean number of 7.9 intravitreal injections, whereas those in the laser arm received a mean of 2.1 treatments. There were no new safety signals. CONCLUSION: Ranibizumab 0.5 mg PRN demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful treatment effect versus laser and was well tolerated in Chinese patients with visual impairment due to DME over 12 months.

RANIBIZUMAB VERSUS VERTEPORFIN PHOTODYNAMIC THERAPY IN ASIAN PATIENTS WITH MYOPIC CHOROIDAL NEOVASCULARIZATION: BRILLIANCE, a 12-Month, Randomized, Double-Masked Study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of 2 dosing regimens of ranibizumab 0.5 mg versus verteporfin photodynamic therapy in Asian patients with visual impairment due to myopic choroidal neovascularization. METHODS: Eligible patients (aged ≥18 years) were randomized 2:2:1 to Group I (n = 182; ranibizumab treatment guided by visual acuity stabilization criteria); Group II (n = 184; ranibizumab treatment guided by disease activity); or Group III (n = 91; verteporfin photodynamic therapy on Day 1; from Month 3, ranibizumab/verteporfin photodynamic therapy/both treatment guided by disease activity). RESULTS: The mean average best-corrected visual acuity change from baseline to Month 1 through Month 3 was significantly higher in Groups I/II versus Group III (Group I/II: +9.5/+9.8 letters vs. Group III: +4.5 letters; both P < 0.001). Group II was statistically noninferior to Group I for the mean average best-corrected visual acuity change from baseline to Month 1 through Month 6 (10.7 vs. 10.4 letters; P < 0.001). Over 12 months, the mean number of ranibizumab injections received by Groups I/II/III was 4.6/3.9/3.2. CONCLUSION: In Asian patients, ranibizumab treatments demonstrated superior efficacy versus verteporfin photodynamic therapy at Month 3, and the beneficial treatment effects persisted at Month 12. Ranibizumab was well-tolerated and demonstrated a good safety profile.