Ranibizumab and Reduced Fluence PDT for AMD (RAP)

Ranibizumab and Reduced Fluence Photodynamic Therapy for Choroidal Neovascularization in Age Related Macular Degeneration

Single agent anti-VEGF therapies such as ranibizumab have shown great promise and have set the standard for visual outcomes in treating wet macular degeneration. However, they need to be administered frequently by intraocular injections with the attendant risk of endophthalmitis, lens damage, retinal detachment, and vitreous hemorrhage. The purpose of this trial is to see if using photodynamic therapy in combination with ranibizumab will decrease the number of treatments with ranibizumab.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Macular Degeneration
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: ranibizumab; Drug: verteporfin

Detailed Description

A randomized, prospective, multicenter trial will compare two groups of patients with subfoveal choroidal neovascularization secondary to AMD. One group will receive 0.5 mg. ranibizumab intraocularly initially. This will be repeated monthly for 3 months total and then as needed over the period of one year. The other group will receive Reduced Fluence-PDT (25 Joules) followed by 0.5 mg. of ranibizumab intraocularly on the same day. The second group will receive the combination of ranibizumab and RF-PDT as needed over a period of one year. Re-treatment will be determined by the individual investigator based on visual acuity, retinal thickness as measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT), and fluorescein angiography. Visual acuity and OCT measurements will be performed by masked examiners.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 60
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • Santa Barbara, California, United States, 93103
      • California Retina Consultants & Research Foundation
  • Michigan
    • Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States, 49301
      • Associated Retinal Consultants
  • Texas
    • Arlington, Texas, United States, 76012
      • Texas Retina Associates

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 46 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Willingness to sign informed consent.
2. Age greater than 50.
3. Evidence of macular degeneration in the form of drusen in either eye.
4. Visual acuity of 20/25 to 20/800.

5. Subfoveal choroidal neovascularization. Both occult and classic subtypes will be allowed. If lesion is purely occult there has to be one of the following:

   1. Recent loss of vision (5 letters on ETDRS or doubling of visual angle by snellen)
   2. Documented enlargement of lesion on FA
   3. Increase of 50 microns or more in the central subfield on OCT
   4. New blood
6. Total active lesion must be less than 12 disc areas in size. -

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Myopia, ocular histoplasmosis, or other retinal pathology that could affect vision
2. Previous treatment of the enrolled eye for CNV
3. Intraocular surgery within 6 weeks of enrollment
4. Geographic atrophy, subretinal fibrosis, or pigment epithelial tear involving the fovea of the eligible eye
5. Known hypersensitivity to verteporfin
6. Medical condition that would preclude regular follow-up for one year.
7. Previous vitrectomy
8. Media opacities limiting visual acuity, retinal examination, or retinal imaging.
9. A lesion where > 50% of the lesion is a pigment epithelial detachment. -

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Group I; Group I will receive 0.5 mg. ranibizumab intraocularly initially. This will be repeated monthly for 3 months total and then as needed over the period of one year.	Drug: ranibizumab; 0.5 mg. given as an intraocular injection; Other Names: Lucentis
Experimental: Group II; Group II will receive Reduced Fluence-PDT (25 Joules) followed by 0.5 mg. of ranibizumab intraocularly on the same day. The second group will receive the combination of ranibizumab and RF-PDT as needed over a period of one year.	Drug: ranibizumab; 0.5 mg. given as an intraocular injection; Other Names: Lucentis; Drug: verteporfin; Standard dosage of 6 mgs. / meter2 of body surface area given intravenously.; Other Names: Visudyne

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
The Percentage of Patients With Less Than 15 Letters of ETDRS Visual Loss at 12 Months.	1 year

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Percentage of Participants With Retreatments Over One Year	Number of days to retreatment outcome changed to frequency of retreatments at maintenance visits.	1 year
Number of Injections Over 12 Months	Additional number of ranibizumab injections given in each group over the 12 months	1 year
Percentage of Subjects Gaining More Than 15 ETDRS Letters of Acuity		1 year
Improvement in OCT (Optical Coherent Tomography) Foveal Thickness at 12 Months	Improvement in OCT (Optical coherent tomography) foveal thickness at 12 months/Number of microns in foveal thickness measurement	1 year

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Texas Retina Associates
• Collaborators: Novartis
• Investigators: Study Chair: David Callanan, MD, Texas Retina Associates

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: May 1, 2007
• Primary Completion (Actual): January 1, 2010
• Study Completion (Actual): January 1, 2010

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 9, 2007
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 9, 2007
• First Posted (Estimated): September 11, 2007

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): November 28, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 16, 2025
• Last Verified: November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: photodynamic therapy; Anti-VEGF therapy; neovascularization
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Eye Diseases; Retinal Diseases; Retinal Degeneration; Metaplasia; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Macular Degeneration; Neovascularization, Pathologic; Amino Acids, Peptides, and Proteins; Proteins; Heterocyclic Compounds, 1-Ring; Heterocyclic Compounds; Heterocyclic Compounds, Fused-Ring; Azoles; Polycyclic Compounds; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; Antibodies, Monoclonal; Antibodies; Immunoglobulins; Immunoproteins; Blood Proteins; Serum Globulins; Globulins; Heterocyclic Compounds, 4 or More Rings; Pyrroles; Macrocyclic Compounds; Porphyrins; Tetrapyrroles; Ranibizumab; Verteporfin
• Other Study ID Numbers: RAP AMD Trial