Anti-VEGFs go head-to-head

Article

Clinical doses of Avastin (bevacizumab; Genentech) and Lucentis (ranibizumab; Novartis) are equally effective in neutralizing vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), while Macugen (pegaptanib; Pfizer) has no effect, according to a study published online ahead of print by the Journal of Investigative Ophthalmology.

Clinical doses of Avastin (bevacizumab; Genentech) and Lucentis (ranibizumab; Novartis) are equally effective in neutralizing vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), while Macugen (pegaptanib; Pfizer) has no effect, according to a study published online ahead of print by the Journal of Investigative Ophthalmology.

Alexa K. Klettner of the Universitatsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein, Germany and colleagues compared the efficacy of clinically significant doses of the three VEGF-antagonists in an in vitro system.

Both bevacizumab and ranibizumab were found to neutralize VEGF entirely for six hours, and significantly for up to 16 hours. When the doses were diluted, bevacizumab became ineffective at a concentration of 975 ng/ml (clinical dose=0.25 mg/ml); ranibizumab continued to neutralize VEGF at a concentration of 120 ng/ml (clinical dose=0.125 mg/ml). Pegaptanib was not found to neutralize VEGF at all.

The researchers concluded that, while pegaptanib was not effective against VEGF, in an in vitro system both bevacizumab and ranibizumab are able to neutralize VEGF at levels lower than clinical dose.

Newsletter

Join ophthalmologists across Europe—sign up for exclusive updates and innovations in surgical techniques and clinical care.

Recent Videos
At the Retina World Congress, Siegfried Priglinger, MD, speaks about ensuring the best outcomes for preschool-aged patients
At the 2025 ASCRS meeting, Robert Ang, MD said small aperture IOLs can benefit all patients, especially those with complex corneas or who have undergone previous corneal refractive surgery
Viha Vig, MBChB graduate student at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, discusses her poster presentation on the relationship between mitochondiral disease, Alzheimer disease, and other types of dementia.
Alfredo Sadun, MD, PhD, chief of Ophthalmology at the Doheny Eye Institute, University of California Los Angeles, shared exciting new research with the Eye Care Network during the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) meeting on the subject of Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON).
At this year's Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, Nitish Mehta, MD, shared highlights from his research documenting real-world results of aflibercept 8 mg for patients with diabetic macular oedema.
ARVO 2025: Anat Loewenstein, MD, shares data from herself and her colleagues on meeting needs of patients with diabetic retinopathy
At the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons annual meeting, Sheng Lim, MD, FRCOphth discusses the benefit of endoscopic cyclophotocoagulation for patients with primary open angle glaucoma and cataracts in the CONCEPT study
A photo of Seville, Spain, with the Congress on Controversies in Ophthalmology logo superimposed on it. Image credit: ©francovolpato – stock.adobe.com; logo courtesy COPHy
Anat Loewenstein, MD, Professor and Director, Department of Ophthalmology, Tel Aviv Medical Center, discusses the Congress on Controversies in Ophthalmology (COPHy)
Anat Loewenstein, MD, speaks about the 22nd Annual Angiogenesis, Exudation, and Degeneration Meeting in February 2025 and shares her global forecast for AI-driven home OCT
Related Content
© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.