A Type of ‘Step Therapy’ is an Effective Strategy for Diabetic Eye Disease

NIH-funded clinical trial finds that starting with a cheaper drug and switching to a more expensive drug as needed leads to good vision outcomes in diabetic macular edema.

Clinical trial results from the DRCR Retina Network suggest that a specific step strategy, in which patients with diabetic macular edema start with a less expensive medicine and switch to a more expensive medicine if vision does not improve sufficiently, gives results similar to starting off with the higher-priced drug. The main complication of diabetic macular edema, fluid build-up in the retina that causes vision loss, is commonly treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs.