Pegaptanib 300micrograms/0.09ml solution for injection pre-filled syringes

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of VEGF inhibitors, ranibizumab, aflibercept, bevacizumab, brolucizumab, pegaptanib, and conbercept for wAMD treatment. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Cochrane, and SpringerLink databases to identify cost-effectiveness analyses and cost-utility analyses related to wAMD treatment. Eligible studies were assessed using Drummond's 10-point checklist to evaluate methodological quality. The extracted data included intervention costs, quality-adjusted life-years, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios. RESULTS: Twenty-two studies met the inclusion criteria. Bevacizumab and brolucizumab were frequently reported as cost-effective alternatives, offering comparable or superior visual outcomes at lower costs than ranibizumab or aflibercept. Pegaptanib was consistently less cost-effective. Findings for ranibizumab versus aflibercept varied by treatment regimen and analytic assumptions. Across studies, cost-effectiveness estimates were influenced by model perspective, time horizon, exclusion of adverse events, and single-eye modeling. A further limitation is that in contexts of non-inferior efficacy, small incremental quality-adjusted life-years differences may artificially inflate incremental cost-effectiveness ratios, potentially overstating the costs relative to benefits. CONCLUSIONS: Decision making in wAMD treatment requires more thorough economic evaluations that incorporate standardized methodologies and lengthy cost assessments.

Abstract licence: CC BY

In addition to classic small-molecule drugs and modern protein-based biologics, an intriguing class of medicines is the therapeutic oligonucleotides. Most approved drugs in this category are antisense oligomers or those acting via RNA interference, both of which use base hybridization. Aptamers, also known as chemical antibodies form a smaller, yet equally interesting group of oligonucleotides that can recognize a wide range of molecular targets. Despite their high potential, only two aptamers have been approved to date, pegaptanib (MacugenTM) and avacincaptad pegol (IzervayTM), both for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Targeting vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which plays an important role in the pathogenesis of many eye diseases, pegaptanib emerged as the first anti-VEGF agent and was used in various indications, further inspiring the development of other anti-VEGF therapies. In this review, we summarize the history of the first approved aptamer medicine, pegaptanib. We describe its chemistry and track its development from the earliest stages to the preclinical phase, clinical trials, and eventual regulatory approval. Additionally, we evaluate its position among other therapeutic agents and provide a comprehensive overview of pegaptanib's efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness, comparing these aspects with those of monoclonal antibodies with similar indications, bevacizumab and ranibizumab.

Abstract licence: CC BY

Small RNA or oligonucleotide therapeutics represent a unique modality outside the traditional treatment paradigm of small molecule and protein-based drugs that have historically only targeted a small fraction of the proteome. Innovations in the structural design and chemical modification have been invaluable for recent oligonucleotide therapeutics, greatly improving their biological stability, intracellular delivery, and targeting. Widespread adoption of these strategies has further enabled the application of oligonucleotides as viable drugs and expanded the class of RNA therapeutics, with thirteen antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) (fomiversen, mipomersen, nusinersen, inotersen, eteplirsen, golodirsen, casimersen, viltolarsen, tofersen, eplontersen, olezarsen, and donidalorsen), seven small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) (patisiran, givosiran, lumasiran, inclisiran, vutrisiran, nedosiran, and fitusiran), and two aptamers (pegaptanib and avacincaptad pegol) that have been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). RNA therapeutics have expanded the druggable space and provide a novel treatment strategy, they do not fit within the framework of our current methodology in evaluating risk of drug-drug interactions (DDIs) and assessing pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) relationships. This article provides an overview of FDA-approved oligonucleotide therapies, emphasizing chemical modifications, molecular targets for mechanistic actions, and available ADME and PK/PD properties, followed by the discussion of critical needs for risk assessment strategies suited for this unique modality that focuses on possible DDIs with concomitant drugs. The latter may involve direct competition for the endogenous RNA interference machinery to alter ADME or relevant PD gene expression, rather than uncommon binding or interactions with drug-metabolizing enzymes or transporters found and recommended for small molecule drugs.

Abstract licence: CC BY