Real-World Visual and Anatomic Outcomes With High-Dose Anti-VEGF Therapy in nAMD: Insights From the SPECTRUM Study (Episode 1 of 2)

Welcome back to another Ophthalmology Times Europe Rapid Readout. In this episode titled "Real-World Visual and Anatomic Outcomes With High-Dose Anti-VEGF Therapy in nAMD: Insights From the SPECTRUM Study (Episode 1 of 2)," Javier Zarranz-Ventura, MD, discusses neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), presenting real-world data from SPECTRUM, a phase 4 global study evaluating high-dose anti-VEGF therapy with aflibercept 8 mg.

Dr. Zarranz-Ventura explains why SPECTRUM matters: while the phase 3 PULSAR trial established aflibercept 8 mg's efficacy and safety under controlled conditions, treatment protocols in daily practice are far less rigid, and retina specialists need real-world evidence confirming whether those outcomes hold up in routine care. He describes the baseline nAMD population enrolled in SPECTRUM, noting both cohorts — mean age 79, with a slight female predominance — closely mirror patients seen in a standard retina clinic. The previously treated cohort had already been on prior anti-VEGF therapy for a mean of 32 months before switching to aflibercept 8 mg, representing the heavily pretreated "frequent flyer" nAMD patients common in daily injection clinics.

Turning to outcomes, Dr. Zarranz-Ventura reports the headline week 12 visual acuity findings: a mean gain of 3.8 letters in the treatment-naive cohort and approximately 0.9 to 1 letter in the previously treated cohort, both consistent with a real-world study. He closes with the corresponding anatomical findings, noting central retinal thickness decreased by approximately 113 microns in treatment-naive eyes and 32 microns in previously treated eyes at week 12 — results supporting a positive overall anatomical response to aflibercept 8 mg in this nAMD population.

In the next episode, "Real-World Fluid Control and Safety Outcomes With High-Dose Anti-VEGF Therapy in nAMD: Insights From the SPECTRUM Study (Episode 2 of 2)," Dr. Zarranz-Ventura reviews SPECTRUM's fluid control and safety findings and shares the study's key interim clinical takeaways.