Early SPECTRUM results outline week 8 real-world outcomes with aflibercept 8 mg

Editor's Note: This content was generated with the assistance of AI.

A prespecified Week 8 analysis from the global SPECTRUM study provides early real-world data on intravitreal aflibercept 8 mg in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). The prospective observational study is being conducted across 18 countries and includes treatment-naïve (TN) and previously treated (PT) patients aged 50 years or older who were prescribed aflibercept 8 mg by their physicians as part of routine clinical practice.¹

The first author of the study is Clare Bailey from the Department of Ophthalmology at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, Bristol, UK.¹

“This prespecified W8 analysis of the SPECTRUM study provides valuable insights into early treatment responses to aflibercept 8 mg in diverse real-world settings among clinically heterogenous patients with nAMD,” the study authors stated.²

The analysis included the first approximately 100 patients in each cohort who had both a study visit and visual acuity (VA) assessment at Week 8. Patients received a mean of 3.0 injections in the TN cohort and 2.6 injections in the PT cohort through Day 70. Mean change in VA at Week 8 was +3.2 letters in TN patients and 0.0 letters in PT patients. Mean central retinal thickness decreased by 115 µm in the TN cohort and 39 µm in the PT cohort. The proportion of patients without intraretinal or subretinal fluid increased from baseline to Week 8 in both groups.¹

Ocular treatment-emergent adverse events occurred in 2.6% of TN patients and 3.9% of PT patients. Non-ocular adverse events were reported in 4.4% of TN patients and none in PT patients. Two ocular adverse events in the PT cohort—elevated intraocular pressure and vitreous floaters—were considered study drug-related. No serious ocular or non-ocular adverse events or cases of intraocular inflammation were reported.¹

SPECTRUM is a 24-month observational study, and the Week 8 findings are exploratory and based on a limited subset of participants. According to the investigators, the early analysis provides initial real-world insights into early functional, anatomic, and safety outcomes with aflibercept 8 mg in clinically heterogeneous patients with nAMD.¹

References:

1. Bailey C, Lange C, Chaudhary V, et al. SPECTRUM: early clinical experience from the first global real-world study of aflibercept 8 mg in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Eye. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41433-026-04260-3

2. Lanzetta P, Korobelnik JF, Heier JS, et al. Intravitreal aflibercept 8 mg in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (PULSAR): 48-week results from a randomized, double-masked, non-inferiority, phase 3 trial. Lancet. 2024;403:1141–52.