Tachyphylaxis after intravitreal bevacizumab for exudative age-related macular degeneration.
OBJECTIVE
To describe tachyphylaxis to intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) in patients with exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD).


METHODS
We retrospectively reviewed the records of 59 consecutive patients treated with IVB at the National Eye Institute over a 14-month period and identified cases demonstrating loss of treatment efficacy as revealed by spectral domain optical coherence tomography. We defined tachyphylaxis as a loss of therapeutic response to IVB 28 +/- 7 days after administration in an eye that had previously demonstrated a therapeutic response in the same time interval.


RESULTS
Five patients (six eyes) were identified as developing tachyphylaxis after repeated treatment with IVB. High-dose IVB (2.50 mg) did not restore therapeutic response in these patients. Bilateral tachyphylaxis to IVB was seen after an episode of unilateral postinjection anterior uveitis. After the first treatment of IVB, the median time taken to develop tachyphylaxis was 100 weeks (range: 31-128 weeks), and the median number of IVB treatments to the development of tachyphylaxis was 8 treatments (range: 5-10 treatments).


CONCLUSIONS
Tachyphylaxis can occur after long-term intravitreal use of bevacizumab in patients with AMD. The precise mechanism of tachyphylaxis is unclear, but both local and/or systemic factors may be involved.
Forooghian
Farzin
F
Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Research, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.
Cukras
Catherine
C
Meyerle
Catherine B
CB
Chew
Emily Y
EY
Wong
Wai T
WT
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000068258:Bevacizumab; D005122:Exudates and Transudates; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007267:Injections; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D019233:Retreatment; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013618:Tachyphylaxis; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D014822:Vitreous Body
D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D000068258:Bevacizumab