New Retina Radio By Eyetube

Two biosimilars are approved for use in retina by the US FDA—and more will be approved in the coming years. What exactly are biosimilars? What benefit might they provide? And how confident are retina specialist that biosimilars will deliver safe, high-quality care?  Moderator John Kitchens, MD, sits down with retina specialists Carl Awh, MD, and Firas Rahhal, MD, to answer these questions, and to ask whether the economic realities of biosimilars make them a good choice for modern retina practices.  This podcast is editorially independent, supported with advertising by Cimerli. 

The field of retina has made significant strides when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion since Julia A. Haller, MD, penned her inspirational 2015 JAMA Ophthalmology editorial, Cherchez la Femme. The ever-growing body of research on this topic stands as a testament to her commitment to understanding the gaps in diversity, particularly in terms of gender differences in leadership positions. Adrienne W. Scott, MD, and Steven Sanislo, MD, sit down with Dr. Haller to discuss the state of affairs in retina and just how far we have come—and how much is left to do.  How are we doing in terms of representation on the podium? How does diversity among retina specialists affect patient care? Why is it important to look for diversity when designing an ad board or conference agenda? What drove Dr. Haller to pursue a career in a traditionally male-dominated field? Check out this episode to hear what Dr. Haller has to say. 

Reimbursements for vitreoretinal surgery have plummeted in the past decade. How dire is the situation? John Thompson, MD, updates listeners on the trends in Medicare reimbursement for a variety of vitreoretinal surgeries, imaging tests, and E&M visits—all of which have implications for the future of care and access to providers.    After the break, Raymond Iezzi, MD, discusses the risks and benefits to using large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT in a retina clinic. How will LLMs better serve providers and patients? And what drawbacks might create more confusion than needed? Check out this episode to learn more.    This Editorially independent content is supported with advertising.

What are the consequences to intentional suspension of anti-VEGF therapy in wet AMD patients? Join moderator Sruthi Arepalli, MD, and panelists Rebecca Soares, MD, MPH, and Vaidehi Dedania, MD, as they explore the circumstances under which treatment might be suspended, examine a paper that described the consequences of treatment suspension, and review how they approach treatment suspension in their clinics.

The FARETINA-AMD study group assessed approximately 23,000 patients with wet AMD who had received at least one dose of faricimab (Vabysmo, Genentech/Roche). What have they found? Sophie Bakri, MD, summarizes the findings of an IRIS Registry review, which uncovered data about who has been dosed with faricimab, how frequently extended dosing intervals have been achieved, and whether real-world safety issues have cropped up.  And Karl Csaky, MD, PhD, offers a glimpse into the future of geographic atrophy care. Are any budding technologies better able to assess structure and function in GA patients? Keep it here to find out.  This Editorially independent content is supported with advertising.

They’re here: the 96-week data on aflibercept 8 mg (Eylea, Regeneron) in wet AMD. Jean-Francois Korobelnik, MD, PhD stops by to review the 96-week data from PULSAR. How closely did the 96-week results match those at 48 weeks? And how many patients could be extended to 16-, 20-, or even 24-week intervals?    Also, W. Lloyd Clark, MD, joins the show to discuss home-based OCT-guided management of wet AMD. How does home OCT fit into a patient’s life—and how might it shape the future of care? Listen here to find out. 

How effective is prophylactic laser for preventing fellow eye RT/RRD in patients with lattice degeneration who underwent uncomplicated primary RRD repair? NRR Journal Club with VBS moderator David Xu, MD, and panelists Prethy Rao, MD, and Barton Blackorby, MD, summarize a recent study that explored rates of fellow eye RT/RRD in this patient population by comparing cohorts who did and did not receive prophylactic laser in their fellow eye. The group dives deeper into the data to see how PVD presence, myopia severity, and phakic status affected rates of fellow eye RT/RRD, and asks whether and how these data can be applied to a modern surgical strategy. 

RGX-314 (Regenxbio) could be a one-time gene therapy that addresses diabetic retinopathy. How did it perform in the phase 2 ALTITUDE study? Mark Barakat, MD, shares 1-year safety and efficacy findings from the first two dosing levels of RGX-314 in patients with DR. What are the data? And what’s coming next?    And Hani Salehi-Had, MD, joins the show to tell us about the findings in the DIAMOND study, a clinical trial assessing the safety and efficacy of OCS-01 (Oculis), an eye drop designed to treat DME. What did he and his study colleagues find? Keep it here to find out. 

Do patients with a history of retinal detachment (RD) experience higher rates of postpartum RD based on whether they delivered vaginally or via caesarean section? Join NRR Journal Club with VBS moderator Lediana Goduni, MD, and panelists Matt Starr, MD, and Joshua Uhr, MD, as they recap a new paper on this topic. After the break, the group reviews the limitations of this 30-year retrospective analysis, question whether RDs observed in the study were even linked to delivery irrespective of method, and discuss whether ophthalmic history should have any bearing on delivery recommendations. 

How do retina specialists manage real-world patients with chronic postoperative inflammation? Host John Kitchens, MD, poses various scenarios to panelists Brian Do, MD, and Katherine Talcott, MD, to better understand their approaches to controlling postoperative inflammation in a variety of patients. After the break, the group focuses on the real-world use of long-term steroid-eluting options in this patient population. This editorially independent episode is supported by advertising from Alimera Sciences, Inc.

Researchers performed a cost analysis of the DRCR Retina Network’s Protocol AC study comparing on-label and off-label anti-VEGF use in DME therapy. What did they determine? Moderator Priya Vakharia, MD, invites panelists Sruthi Arepalli, MD, and Vaidehi Dedania, MD, to review the details of this economic examination. After the break, they explore how studies such as this one affect policy and probe the relevance of these findings in a world with longer-acting therapeutic agents. 

How do retina specialists introduce new therapies to patients, and how does thoughtful use of imaging help providers integrate new treatments into their clinics? Moderator Aleksandra Rachitskaya, MD, joins panelists Mrinali Gupta, MD, and Katherine Talcott, MD, to review how innovations in imaging software have helped onboard GA therapies in real-world clinics. This episode is sponsored by ZEISS.

In part 2 of this special podcast interview with John W. Kitchens, MD, and Kirk Packo, MD, FACS, they dive into Dr. Packo's involvement in the creation of AAO subspecialty day, his passion for honoring the history of retina, and his assistance in advocating for vitreoretinal surgery improvements.  This podcast is editorially independent.

John W. Kitchens, MD, interviews Kirk Packo, MD, FACS, around his triumphant career and his decision to retire from practicing medicine following an unexpected diagnosis. In part 1 of 2, Dr. Packo describes his early career goals, his experience with residency matching, his background in acting and directing, and his passion for educating.  This podcast is editorially independent.

How do retina specialists manage patients who present with postoperative inflammation following cataract surgery? Host John Kitchens, MD, and panelists Vaidehi Dedania, MD, and David Eichenbaum, MD, explore the role steroids play in inflammation reduction and examine whether and why extended-release steroids are needed. After the break, Dr. Kitchens quizzes the panelists on their use of specific steroids in postoperative inflammation patients. This editorially independent episode is supported by advertising from Alimera Sciences, Inc.

What did a meta-analysis of studies assessing the safety and efficacy of vitrectomy for diabetic tractional retinal detachment (TRD) find when it comes to the rate of retinal reattachment and final visual acuity? Moderator Katherine Talcott, MD, and panelists Kyle Kovacs, MD, and Rebecca Soares, MD, MPH, outline the top-line findings of this meta-analysis, explore why the study's conclusions brush against conventional understandings of diabetic TRD outcomes following surgery, and ask whether the success bias of published studies undercut the real-world value of meta-analyses.  

New Retina Radio was at ASRS 2023 to cover the stories you may have missed.    How did patients fare in the GALE extension study, which assessed the safety and efficacy of pegcetacoplan (Syfovre, Apellis Pharmaceuticals) for geographic atrophy? Nathan C. Steinle, MD, shares the results of the first 6 months of GALE, in which patients who received treatment for 24 months in DERBY/OAKS continued with therapy—and in which patients who had received sham treatment for 24 months were switched over to treatment.    Paul Hahn, MD, PhD, joined us in our mobile studio in Seattle to share data from a matching-adjusted indirect comparison of pegcetacoplan and avacincaptad pegol (Izervay, Iveric Bio). What did he and his team find?    This is episode 2 of 2 covering the 2023 ASRS Annual Meeting. Go back in your feed to listen to episode 1.  

What are the first steps retina specialists should take when a patient presents with postoperative inflammation? Host John Kitchens, MD, is joined by panelists Lisa Faia, MD, and Daniel Kiernan, MD, to debut the NRR miniseries "New Approaches to Chronic Postoperative Inflammation." They review which initial evaluation steps are most useful, discuss the wide range of preventive and treatment strategies, and offer pearls to clinicians who are managing postoperative inflammation.  This editorially independent episode is supported by advertising from Alimera Sciences, Inc.

As we enter the therapeutic era of geographic atrophy, imaging the disease is more important than ever. How are retina specialists navigating this new clinical dynamic? Moderator Rishi P. Singh, MD, is joined by Roger A. Goldberg, MD, MBA; Mrinali Gupta, MD; and Katherine Talcott, MD, as they examine which imaging modalities are best suited for busy clinics, discuss how software can facilitate longitudinal imaging tracking, and review which imaging reports are most conducive to patient education. This episode is sponsored by ZEISS. 

New Retina Radio was at ASRS 2023 to cover the stories you may have missed.    How often do patients return to the clinic on time for anti-VEGF injections? Christina Y. Weng, MD, MBA, and her team explored how often patients missed scheduled appointments, by how much, and whether missing appointments affected patient outcomes.    And Nikolas JS London, MD, joined us in our mobile studio in Seattle to tell us about anatomic outcomes in wet AMD patients after faricimab (Vabysmo, Genentech/Roche) treatment.    This is episode 1 of 2 covering the 2023 ASRS Annual Meeting. Keep an eye on your feed for episode 2.