Evidence mapPaperPMID 25975823Full record

SynthesisBMC ophthalmology2015

Systematic review and mixed treatment comparison of intravitreal aflibercept with other therapies for diabetic macular edema (DME).

Jean-Francois Korobelnik, Jos Kleijnen, Shona H Lang, Richard Birnie, Regina M Leadley, Kate Misso, Gill Worthy, Dominic Muston, Diana V Do

Abstract readComparative StudyMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC ophthalmology, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
15citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

15 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Pooled it
  6. Trial
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Microbiota and Ocular Diseases.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2021
    Review
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Review
  13. Article
  14. Overview of Ocular Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Therapy in the Management of Diabetic Eye Complications.Diabetes spectrum : a publication of the American Diabetes Association · 2016
    Article
  15. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Jean-Francois KorobelnikUniversité Bordeaux, ISPED, Centre INSERM U897-Epidemiologie-Biostatistique, F-33000 Bordeaux; Service d'Ophtalmologie, CHU de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France. jean-francois.korobelnik@chu-bordeaux.fr.
Jos KleijnenSchool for Public Health and Primary Care (CAPHRI), Maastricht University, Maastricht, Limburg, the Netherlands. jos@systematic-reviews.com.
Shona H LangKleijnen Systematic Reviews Ltd., Escrick Business Park, Escrick, York, England, YO19 6FD, UK. shona@systematic-reviews.com.
Richard BirnieKleijnen Systematic Reviews Ltd., Escrick Business Park, Escrick, York, England, YO19 6FD, UK. richard@systematic-reviews.com.
Regina M LeadleyKleijnen Systematic Reviews Ltd., Escrick Business Park, Escrick, York, England, YO19 6FD, UK. regina@systematic-reviews.com.
Kate MissoKleijnen Systematic Reviews Ltd., Escrick Business Park, Escrick, York, England, YO19 6FD, UK. kate@systematic-reviews.com.
Gill WorthyKleijnen Systematic Reviews Ltd., Escrick Business Park, Escrick, York, England, YO19 6FD, UK. gill@systematic-reviews.com.
Dominic MustonGlobal Health Economics and Outcomes Research, Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc., 100 Bayer Boulevard, Whippany, New Jersey, 07981, USA. dominic.muston@bayer.com.
Diana V DoTruhlsen Eye Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 985540 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, 68198-5540, USA. diana.do@unmc.edu.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThis was an indirect comparison of the effectiveness of intravitreal aflibercept (IVT-AFL) 2 mg every 8 weeks after 5 initial monthly doses (or if different periods, after an initial monthly dosing period) (2q8) and other diabetic macular edema (DME) therapies at doses licensed outside the USA.

methodsA comprehensive search was undertaken to source relevant studies. Feasibility networks were prepared to identify viable comparisons of 12-month outcomes between IVT-AFL 2q8 and therapies licensed outside the USA, which were assessed for clinical and statistical homogeneity. Pooled effect sizes (mean difference [MD] and relative risk/risk ratio [RR]) were calculated using fixed- and random-effects models. Indirect comparisons were performed using Bucher analysis. If at least one 'head-to-head' study was found then a mixed treatment comparison (MTC) was performed using Bayesian methods. Two 12-month comparisons could be undertaken based on indirect analyses: IVT-AFL 2q8 versus intravitreal ranibizumab (IVR) 0.5 mg as needed (PRN) (10 studies) and IVT-AFL 2q8 versus dexamethasone 0.7 mg implants (three studies).

resultsThere was an increase in mean best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) with IVT-AFL 2q8 over IVR 0.5 mg PRN by 4.67 letters [95% credible interval (CrI): 2.45-6.87] in the fixed-effect MTC model (10 studies) and by 4.82 letters [95% confidence interval (CI): 2.52-7.11] in the Bucher indirect analysis (four studies). IVT-AFL 2q8 doubled the proportion of patients gaining ≥ 10 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study letters at 12 months compared with dexamethasone 0.7 mg implants (RR = 2.10 [95% CI: 1.29-3.40]) in the fixed-effect model. There were no significant differences in safety outcomes between IVT-AFL 2q8 and IVR 0.5 mg PRN or dexamethasone 0.7 mg implants.

conclusionsStudies of IVT-AFL 2q8 showed improved 12-month visual acuity measures compared with studies of IVR 0.5 mg PRN and dexamethasone 0.7 mg implants based on indirect comparisons. These analyses are subject to a number of limitations which are inherent in indirect data comparisons.

Indexed as

DexamethasoneDiabetic RetinopathyGlucocorticoidsHumansIntravitreal InjectionsMacular EdemaReceptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth FactorRecombinant Fusion ProteinsVascular Endothelial Growth Factor AVisual AcuityafliberceptDexamethasoneGlucocorticoidsReceptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth FactorRecombinant Fusion ProteinsVascular Endothelial Growth Factor AVEGFA protein, human

Identifiers

PMID25975823
PMCPMC4467379

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.