Issue Briefs
Date of this Version
6-13-2012
Abstract
Comparative effectiveness research (CER) has received widespread attention and federal funding because of its potential to inform and improve treatment decisions. Since 2005, patients and their ophthalmologists have faced a dilemma in treating age-related macular degeneration (AMD)—the leading cause of blindness in the United States. Two closely related drugs have produced dramatic improvements in vision; one has been rigorously tested for use in AMD patients, while the other has been rigorously tested for use in cancer patients, but is now widely used to treat AMD. One drug costs 40 times as much as the other. This Issue Brief summarizes a CER study comparing these drugs head-to-head, and provides the most definitive evidence to date about the safety and effectiveness of the two alternatives.
Document Type
Brief
Volume
17
Number
8
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Keywords
evidence development & decision science, comparative effectiveness research/PCORI
View On LDI Website
http://ldi.upenn.edu/policy/issue-briefs/2012/06/13/comparing-treatments-for-age-related-macular-degeneration-safety-effectiveness-and-cost
Date Posted: 09 December 2016