Patient Preferences with Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Treatment for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Diabetic Macular Edema: A Multinational Discrete Choice Experiment Study.

Introduction: New anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatments are emerging for the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME)/neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). This study aimed to explore the treatment attributes patients find important when deciding on treatment options.

Methods: This noninterventional survey study assessed treatment preferences through a discrete choice experiment (DCE) among patients with DME/nAMD in the United States, Canada, France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The DCE design was informed by a targeted literature review and qualitative interview research and included five treatment attributes: mode of administration, frequency of examinations, frequency of injections or refills, likely change in visual acuity, and eye-related side effects. Conditional logit models were used to analyze the choice data.

Results: Overall, 537 patients completed the DCE (DME, n = 173; nAMD, n = 364). Patients reported preferring "injection" over "implant surgery and refills" and better visual outcomes over "stabilization", which were also the most important attributes driving preference (35.1% and 31.5%, respectively). They also showed a preference for less-frequent treatment and examinations and for "mild-moderate, frequent" over "severe, rare" side effects. These findings were generally consistent across the two conditions, although significant differences were found depending on anti-VEGF treatment duration (nAMD, DME) and number of reported barriers (nAMD).

Conclusion: Patient preferences for treatment are driven by several factors. Considering these is essential when designing/introducing new therapies. Individual treatment preferences should be identified and given key consideration when helping patients select from an expanding array of treatment options.