title: Combination therapy for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To discuss the current combination treatments that involve existing as well as novel drugs that show promise for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Photodynamic therapy in combination with antivascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and steroids is currently used as a second-line therapy in patients not responding to monotherapy with anti-VEGF agents or in whom the treatment burden of monthly injections is too great. It is used as a primary therapy for idiopathic polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy. Radiation and antiplatelet-derived growth factor therapy show promising results and are currently under investigation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using combination treatments that target other pathways involved in angiogenesis will hopefully improve on the results of current anti-VEGF agents and may result in greater visual improvement and more convenient dosing regimens.
authors: Cole Eye Institute, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA.
authors: Miriam
authors: M
authors: Englander
authors: Peter K
authors: PK
authors: Kaiser
mesh_terms: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D010778:Photochemotherapy; D010982:Platelet-Derived Growth Factor / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011878:Radiotherapy; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D057135:Wet Macular Degeneration / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000532:radiotherapy*
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D005938:Glucocorticoids; D010982:Platelet-Derived Growth Factor; C467484:VEGFA protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A