Short-term efficacy and safety of ranibizumab for macular oedema secondary to retinal vein occlusion in Japanese patients

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of ranibizumab 0.5 mg in Japanese patients with visual impairment due to macular oedema secondary to branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) or central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) and to support the applicability of the phase III results from Caucasian to Japanese populations. Methods: This is a 3-month, open-label, single-arm, multicentre, phase III study. Thirty-one patients (15 BRVO and 16 CRVO) aged ≥18 years with a best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) letter score of 19–73 (BRVO) or 24–73 (CRVO) were included. The primary end-point was the mean average change in BCVA from baseline to month 1 through month 3 after three consecutive monthly intravitreal injections of ranibizumab 0.5 mg. Secondary end-points were mean change in BCVA and central subfield thickness (CSFT), categorized BCVA, and safety over 3 months. Results: At month 3, the mean average change in BCVA improved substantially from baseline for BRVO (11.3 letters, p = 0.001) and CRVO (6.7 letters, p = 0.019). The mean BCVA improved (12.8 and 9.1 letters) and the mean CSFT decreased (212.5 and 442.1 μm) from baseline to month 3. At month 3, 26.7% (BRVO) and 31.3% (CRVO) of the patients had a gain of ≥15 letters from baseline. Safety findings in this study were similar to those reported in the previous clinical trials. Conclusion: Ranibizumab was effective in improving BCVA and was well tolerated in Japanese patients with BRVO and CRVO. The findings from this study were consistent with those reported in the Caucasian population.