title: Compassionate use of intravitreal pegaptanib in patients with age-related macular degeneration.
abstract: The study aim was to evaluate the short-term safety and efficacy of pegaptanib sodium injections (Macugen, Eyetech Pharmaceuticals, Inc., New York, NY) in the compassionate-use therapy of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) secondary to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Intravitreal pegaptanib was used to treat 41 eyes in 40 patients with CNV. Injections were given every 6 weeks, and a minimum of three injections were planned. The mean change in BCVA for all lesions was a loss of 0.03 Snellen lines. Seven eyes (17.1%) gained more than 3 lines, three (7.31%) lost 6 lines or more, and in 75.6% the BCVA stabilized or improved.
authors.affiliation: Università degli Studi di Roma "Tor Vergata" Unità Operativa Dipartimentale Patologie Retiniche Policlinico "Tor Vergata," Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ricci
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Missiroli
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cedrone
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grossi
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Regine
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D020256:Choroidal Neovascularization / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D057176:Compassionate Use Trials; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D006801:Humans; D007267:Injections; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology; D014822:Vitreous Body
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide; C495058:pegaptanib