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Pharmaceuticals
Special Issues
Pharmacotherapy of Macular Diseases
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Pharmacotherapy of Macular Diseases

A special issue of Pharmaceuticals (ISSN 1424-8247). This special issue belongs to the section "Pharmacology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 February 2026 | Viewed by 324

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Yoichi Sakurada

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Ophthalmology, University of Yamanashi, Chuo 409-3898, Japan
Interests: macular disorders; genetics; pharmacogenetics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a crucial role in retinal homeostasis and is a key factor in various macular diseases, including neovascular age-related macular degeneration, diabetic macular edema, and macular edema associated with retinal vein occlusion. It has been over 20 years since the first VEGF inhibitor (pegaptanib) was available. To date, the second-generation VEGF inhibitors, including brolucizumab, faricimab, and high-dose aflibercept, are widely used, and many retinal specialists treat these disorders using various treatment regimens.

This Special Issue focuses on the treatment of these disorders, not only VEGF inhibitors but also other drugs, including steroids, etc.

Dr. Yoichi Sakurada
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pharmaceuticals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • VEGF inhibitors
  • macular disorders
  • neovascular age-related macular degeneration
  • diabetic macular edema
  • macular edema associated with retinal vein occlusion

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

12 pages, 1077 KB  
Article
Comparison of Three Consecutive Monthly Administrations Between Aflibercept 8 mg and Brolucizumab 6 mg in Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy
by Yoshiko Fukuda, Yoichi Sakurada, Yumi Kotoda, Misa Kimura and Kenji Kashiwagi
Pharmaceuticals 2025, 18(12), 1811; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph18121811 - 27 Nov 2025
Viewed by 210
Abstract
Purpose: The aim was to compare the short-term outcomes of aflibercept 8 mg and brolucizumab for the treatment of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). Methods: This study included 48 eyes of 48 patients with PCV. Drug selection was based on the treatment period. Sixteen [...] Read more.
Purpose: The aim was to compare the short-term outcomes of aflibercept 8 mg and brolucizumab for the treatment of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). Methods: This study included 48 eyes of 48 patients with PCV. Drug selection was based on the treatment period. Sixteen eyes received aflibercept 8 mg and thirty-two eyes received brolucizumab. All eyes underwent three consecutive monthly injections: aflibercept (114.3 mg/mL; 0.07 mL) or brolucizumab (120 mg/mL; 0.05 mL). Indocyanine green angiography was performed at baseline and at the 3-month visit to confirm the presence of polypoidal lesions. Results: In the aflibercept 8 mg group, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) significantly improved from 0.28 ± 0.26 at baseline to 0.18 ± 0.25 at the 3-month visit (p < 0.001). In the brolucizumab 6 mg group, BCVA improved from 0.35 ± 0.26 to 0.29 ± 0.27, although the change was not statistically significant (p = 0.08). Multivariate regression analysis showed that better BCVA at 3 months was associated with better baseline BCVA and lower central retinal thickness (CRT), independent of the drug used. CRT decreased from 382 ± 157 to 198 ± 98 in the brolucizumab 6 mg group and from 358 ± 152 to 192 ± 76 in the aflibercept 8 mg group at 3 months. Subfoveal choroidal thickness (SCT) decreased from 201 ± 78 to 167 ± 60 in the brolucizumab 6 mg group and from 186 ± 76 to 153 ± 67 in the aflibercept 8 mg group. The dry macula rate at 3 months was the same for aflibercept 8 mg and brolucizumab 6 mg at 93.8%. Complete regression of polypoidal lesions was observed in 62.5% and 75.0% of patients in the aflibercept and brolucizumab groups, respectively (p = 0.57). Conclusions: During the induction phase, aflibercept 8 mg demonstrated comparable outcomes to brolucizumab 6 mg in reducing CRT and SCT, achieving a dry macula, improving BCVA, and regressing polypoidal lesions in eyes with PCV. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pharmacotherapy of Macular Diseases)
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