These Patients May Be Less Adherent to nAMD Treatment

TOPLINE:

BARCELONA, Spain — Patients who receive a diagnosis of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) from their primary care clinician may be less likely to adhere to treatment than those who receive the diagnosis from a specialist who provides anti–vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy, according to global survey results presented at the European Society of Retina Specialists (EURETINA) 2024. Likewise, patients who self-pay for the medication or who have bilateral nAMD may be less adherent to therapy, researchers found.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers analyzed data from 4558 patients with nAMD who participated in the Barometer Global Survey, which involved 77 clinics in 24 countries, including Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, and France.
• The survey included multiple-choice questions on personal characteristics, disease awareness, experiences with treatment, and logistical challenges with getting to appointments.
• An exploratory statistical analysis identified 19 variables that influenced patient adherence to anti-VEGF therapy.
• The researchers classified 670 patients who missed two or more appointments during a 12-month period as nonadherent.

TAKEAWAY:

• Patients with nAMD diagnosed by their family doctor or general practitioner had a threefold higher risk for nonadherence than those diagnosed by the physician treating their nAMD.
• Self-pay was associated with more than twice the odds of nonadherence compared with having insurance coverage (odds ratio [OR], 2.5).
• Compared with unilateral nAMD, bilateral nAMD was associated with higher odds of multiple missed appointments (OR, 1.7).
• Nonadherence increased with the number of anti-VEGF injections, which may show that “longer treatment durations could permit more opportunities for absenteeism,” the investigators noted.

IN PRACTICE:

“Identifying patient characteristics and challenges that may be associated with nonadherence allows clinicians to recognize patients at risk for nonadherence and provide further support before these patients begin to miss appointments,” the study authors wrote.

SOURCE:

This study was led by Laurent Kodjikian, MD, PhD, with Croix-Rousse University Hospital and the University of Lyon, Lyon, France. The findings were presented in a poster at EURETINA 2024 (September 19-22).

LIMITATIONS:

The survey relied on participant responses using Likert scales and single-choice questions. Patients from the United States were not included in the study. 

DISCLOSURES:

The survey and medical writing support for the study were funded by Bayer Consumer Care. Kodjikian and coauthors disclosed consulting work for Bayer and other pharmaceutical companies.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.