Innovations for Sustained Anti-VEGF Delivery in Retinal Diseases

Panelists discuss how the chronic nature of retinal diseases requires consistent VEGF suppression through regular anti-VEGF injections, but this treatment burden leads to challenges including patient compliance, health care resource strain, and quality of life impacts from frequent office visits.

Panelists discuss how the port delivery system (PDS) is a permanent, refillable ocular implant that continuously releases ranibizumab into the vitreous, with the Archway trial demonstrating noninferior vision outcomes compared with monthly ranibizumab injections while reducing treatment burden through 6-month refill intervals.

Panelists discuss how successful port delivery system (PDS) implantation requires careful patient selection and meticulous surgical technique to minimize complications like vitreous hemorrhage and endophthalmitis, with certain patients being poor candidates due to factors such as active inflammation, thin sclera, or glaucoma filtering devices.

Panelists discuss how surgeons must complete specialized training and certification through the risk evaluation and mitigation strategy program to perform port delivery system implantation, which requires a sterile operating room environment and specific surgical instruments designed for the procedure.

Panelists discuss how patients experiencing frequent anti-VEGF treatment burdens with 4- to 8-week intervals between injections are ideal candidates for PDS as an alternative delivery method.