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Theranostics 2011; 1:395-402. doi:10.7150/thno/v01p0395 This volume Cite

Review

Lasting Controversy on Ranibizumab and Bevacizumab

Lihui Zou¹, Huiying Lai², Qi Zhou³, Fei Xiao^{1, 2✉}

1. The Key Laboratory of Geriatrics, Beijing Hospital & Beijing Institute of Geriatrics, Ministry of Health, Beijing, 100730, China.
2. The Department of Laboratory Medicine, Beijing Hospital, Ministry of Health, Beijing 100730, China.
3. National Center for Clinical Laboratories, Ministry of Health, Beijing 100730, China.

✉ Corresponding author: Fei Xiao, The Key Laboratory of Geriatrics, Beijing Institute of Geriatrics; The Department of Laboratory Medicine, Beijing Hospital, Beijing 100730, China. E-mail: xiaofeicn

Abstract

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), an important angiogenic factor that is able to stimulate the proliferation and migration of endothelial cells, is the best-studied hallmark of angiogenesis. Neovascularization is a major cause of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) which is a leading cause of blindness in the elderly population. Specific molecular inhibitors of VEGF have been proved to be useful in the treatment of AMD. Ranibizumab and Bevacizumab are structurally similar to anti-VEGF drugs in the treatment of AMD. Many studies have indicated that Ranibizumab and Bevacizumab are of roughly equal short-term efficacy and safety, Bevacizumab is an attractive alternative to Ranibizumab due to its lower cost. However, only Ranibizumab has received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for the treatment of macular degeneration. More multicenter clinical trials are required to compare the relative efficacy and safety of these two drugs and some progress has been achieved. This review discusses the clinical effectiveness, safety, cost and other practical implications of Ranibizumab and Bevacizumab.

Keywords: Ranibizumab, Bevacizumab, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), age-related macular degeneration, angiogenesis.

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