Response to NICE announcing their positive draft guidance for Eylea® for the treatment of macular oedema secondary to CRVO
6 January 2014
College Statement
The Royal College of Ophthalmologists welcomes the Final Appraisal Determination (FAD) from NICE recommending Eylea® (aflibercept) as a treatment option for visual impairment due to macular oedema secondary to central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO).
We hope that this decision will help the clinical commissioning groups to support the rapid implementation of the final guidance so that patients can benefit from a further treatment option for this debilitating condition. Eylea® is a soluble human fusion protein which binds to vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) and placental growth factor (PlGF), tighter than their natural receptors do, in order to inhibit their action. This drug has been shown in two licensing trials, COPERNICUS and GALILEO, to achieve the primary endpoint of gaining at least 15 letters on an eye chart in 55.3 percent and 60.2 percent of patients, respectively, compared to 30.1 percent and 32.4 percent of patients who received sham injections.
The recommended dose for Eylea® is 2mg (0.05ml) administered by intravitreal injection monthly for three months at the start of treatment, and then treatment may be continued with gradually increasing treatment intervals to maintain a stable visual and anatomic outcome. This recommended treatment regimen is a novel approach to the management of this condition with the objective of maximising treatment benefit whilst reducing the burden of treatment for macular oedema secondary to CRVO on patients, their relatives, and the NHS.
31st December 2013