title: Treatment patterns, visual acuity and quality-of-life outcomes of the WAVE study - a noninterventional study of ranibizumab treatment for neovascular age-related macular degeneration in Germany.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate effectiveness, tolerability and safety of repeated intravitreal injections of 0.5 mg ranibizumab for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration in routine medical practice in Germany.
  
  
  METHODS
  A noninterventional study with 3470 patients treated in 274 medical centres according to German guidelines, with monthly intravitreal injections of 0.5 mg ranibizumab during upload (3 months) followed by a maintenance phase (9 months) with reinjections if medically indicated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean injection rate was 4.34 (SE = 0.05; median = 3.0). Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) remained stable (mean change 0.02 LogMAR, SE = 0.01, p = 0.0169) and central retinal thickness (CRT) decreased (by -78.9 μm, SE = 2.95 μm, p < 0.0001). The NEI-VFQ 25 summary score showed a positive stabilization with a mean change of 0.73 (SE = 0.37, p = 0.0501) compared with baseline. Adverse events were documented for 6.5% of the patients with 3.9% of these events being classified as serious.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The number of administered intravitreal injections of ranibizumab over the first year of treatment was very low but still achieved a stabilization of BCVA, a reduction in CRT and maintained vision-related quality of life. The management of patients with neovascular AMD in Germany needs to be improved to achieve better treatment results.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Robert P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Finger
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wiedemann
authors.forename: Francisca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Blumhagen
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pohl
authors.forename: Frank G
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Holz
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D058449:Intravitreal Injections; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D000069579:Ranibizumab; D019233:Retreatment; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology*; D057135:Wet Macular Degeneration / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; C467484:VEGFA protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D000069579:Ranibizumab