The Controversies Surrounding Bevacizumab and Ranibizumab

Ee Vien Low *

Pharmaceutical Services Division, Ministry of Health, Malaysia

Faridah Aryani Md. Yusof

Pharmaceutical Services Division, Ministry of Health, Malaysia

*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.


Abstract

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of visual impairment and blindness. Both bevacizumab and ranibizumab are anti-vascular endothelial growth factors used for treatment of AMD. However the use of bevacizumab remains controversial as it was not approved for intravitreal use although there were several head-to-head comparison trial that shows that it was non inferior to ranibizumab. Despite the status of off-label, intravitreal bevacizumab is being used worldwide as it is 30-50 times cheaper than intravitreal ranibizumab. The case of intravitreal bevacizumab illustrates the use of “not-me” drug and different countries responds differently to its use.

Keywords: Age-related macular degeneration, bevacizumab, ranibizumab, anti-vascular endothelial growth factor


How to Cite

Vien Low, Ee, and Faridah Aryani Md. Yusof. 2014. “The Controversies Surrounding Bevacizumab and Ranibizumab”. Advances in Research 3 (3):334-40. https://doi.org/10.9734/AIR/2015/13322.

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