Aflibercept 8mg Intravitreal Injection
The Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care System Area Prescribing Committee has agreed the use of aflibercept 8mg intravitreal injection.
Aflibercept 2mg (biosimilar when available) remains a first line treatment option (alongside ranibizumab biosimilar).
Aflibercept 8mg can be used in those patients that have not responded sufficiently to the 2mg treat and extend protocols and that aflibercept 8mg will be used no more frequently than every 8 weeks in line with the licence
The Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care System Area Prescribing Committee has agreed a Wet Age Related Macular Degeneration (wet-AMD) treatment pathway attached below for information.
PLEASE NOTE: The most cost-effective anti-VEGF treatment is biosimilar ranibizumab which will be counted as a ‘free switch’ for patients where monthly injections is clinically appropriate.
The Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care System Area Prescribing Committee approve the increased access to THREE switches for existing NICE approved anti-VEGF treatments to optimise response.
N.B Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care System Area Prescribing Committee DO NOT SUPPORT dose intensification (injections every 4 weeks) of aflibercept, as per change in licence since NICE guidance was published
Blueteq forms for initiation and continuation will be completed by retinal specialists in secondary care.
The PCN supports the use of both aflibercept and ranibizumab as treatment options for wet AMD in patients who meet the specified NICE criteria (NICE TA 294 criteria for aflibercept and NICE TA 155 criteria for ranibizumab).
