In conclusion, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is one of the most common causes of avoidable blindness in children,1 causing irreversible visual impairment in over 32,000 infants worldwide each year.4 “Prevention is at the core of neonatal intensive care,” said Prof. Stahl. “Careful management of supplemental oxygen therapy, screening, and timely referrals are key clinical considerations.5”
In the RAINBOW study, a treatment success rate of 80% was achieved with ranibizumab 0.2 mg compared with 66% with laser, and ranibizumab 0.2 mg was well tolerated in patients with ROP.36 RAINBOW is the first study to report pharmacokinetics and systemic VEGF data in ROP. The results of its 5-year extension study are expected by 2022.36 Based on the results of RAINBOW, ranibizumab is now the first anti-VEGF therapy to be approved for the treatment of ROP.
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References
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