Neovascular Age-related Macular Degeneration of All SubtypesPhase 4STARTNCT02246829
Assessment of Early Changes in SD-OCT After Initiation of a Treatment by Intravitreal Aflibercept (EYLEA®)START
A Phase 4 study testing Intravitreal injection in people with Neovascular Age-related Macular Degeneration of All Subtypes, run by University Hospital, Bordeaux at 10 sites in France.
Trial summary
Aflibercept (EYLEA®) induces a rapid reduction in central retinal thickness (CRT) for patients suffering from neovascular age-related-macular degeneration.1 This early dramatic reduction in CRT is already observed through week 4. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 50 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Neovascular Age-related Macular Degeneration of All Subtypes
- What is being tested?
- Intravitreal injection
- Type of treatment
- Injection or infusion, Surgery or procedure
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 50 participants
- Where
- 10 sitesFrance
- Study dates
- Sep 2014to Jun 2015
- Phase
- Phase 4
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 50 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Men and women ≥ 50 years of age
- Active primary subfoveal choroidal neovascularization (CNV) lesions secondary to AMD including juxtafoveal lesions that affects the fovea as evidenced by FA in the study eye
- Signed Informed Consent
- Willing, committed, and able to return for ALL clinic visits and complete all study-related procedures.
Who cannot join
- Prior treatment with anti-VEGF therapy in the study eye
- Active or suspected ocular or periocular infection.
- Active severe intraocular inflammation
Trial locations and contacts
10 sites in 1 country.
10 sites in 1 country
France10 sites
Service d'ophtalmologie Hôpital Henri Mondor 40, avenue de Verdun
Créteil, 94000
Service Ophtalmologie CHU DIJON 14 rue Gaffarel BP 77908
Dijon, 21079
Service d'Ophtalmologie Hôpital de la croix rousse
Lyon, 69317
Cabinet d'ophtalmologie 1 rue Pougin de la Maisonneuve
Montargis, 45200
Sce Ophtalmologie CHU Nantes 1 place Alexis Ricordeau
Nantes, 44093
Centre ophtalmique d'imagerie et de laser (CIL) 11 rue Antoine Bourdelle
Paris, 75011
Sce du Pr SAHEL Fondation ROTHSCHILD 25 rue Manin
Paris, 75019
Sce Ophtalmologie Hôpital Lariboisière 2 rue Ambroise Paré
Paris, 75475
Service Opthalmo 2 Clinique Mathilde 4 rue de Lessard
Rouen, 76100
Centre Ophtalmologie Transparence 30 Boulevard Heurteloup
Tours, 37000
About this study
Official title: Assessment of Early Changes in SD-OCT After Initiation of a Treatment by Intravitreal Aflibercept (EYLEA®) (2mg) Over a 12-week Period for Patients Suffering From Neovascular Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) French SD OCT in wAMD
Aflibercept (EYLEA®) induces a rapid reduction in central retinal thickness (CRT) for patients suffering from neovascular age-related-macular degeneration.1 This early dramatic reduction in CRT is already observed through week 4. Therefore it might be not necessary to consistently perform each of the three monthly consecutive intravitreal injections of the so-called loading phase.
Read the detailed description
The aim of this study is to assess whether the retina of some patients has dried up after the first or second intravitreal injection of Aflibercept (EYLEA®) 2mg and in that event, to determine the proportion of these patients The analysis of the characteristics could help identify a morphotype that would predict whether and when the retina will dry up within the first 3 months of treatment. For some patients having an early drying-up, the third monthly injection might be not necessary 50 naïve patients will be included and will receive a monthly injection over 12 weeks with a biweekly follow-up. Morphological and functional characteristics will be recorded at each visit and will be analyzed. The rate of patients with dry SD-OCT will be assessed.
The study includes 7 visits. The visits are scheduled on an every 2-week basis from baseline to Week 12. V1 (baseline), V3 and V5, the patient will be injected with Aflibercept (EYLEA®) 2mg. In the other visits, the visual acuity test, Fundus photography, SD-OCT, and/or Fluorescein Angiography are performed
- Being tested
- Intravitreal injection
- Keywords
- wet AMD, SD-OCT, intravitreal injection, central retinal thickness,
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Intravitreal injectionProcedure or surgery
2 mg intravitreal Aflibercept initiated with one injection every 4 weeks for three consecutive doses (loading dose) The duration of the follow-up is 12 weeks. This means 3 injections per patient should be given over the study period
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Aflibercept 2mg Intravitreal injection | Other | 2 mg intravitreal Aflibercept initiated with one injection every 4 weeks for three consecutive doses (loading dose) The duration of the follow-up is 12 weeks. This means 3 injections per patient should be given over the study period Receives: Procedure: Intravitreal injection |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Occurence of a Dry SD-OCT 12-week after initiation of a treatment by Aflibercept (EYLEA®) 2mg
Measured: 12-week after initiation of a treatment by Aflibercept (EYLEA®) 2mg
Secondary outcomes (6)
Time to get a dry SD-OCT after initiation of a treatment by Aflibercept
Measured: Every 2 weeks from treatment initiation (inclusion) to week 12
Evolution of morphological and visual modification under Aflibercept (EYLEA®)
Measured: Every 2 weeks from treatment initiation (inclusion) to week 12
Occurence of pigment epithelial detachment
Measured: Every 2 weeks from treatment initiation (inclusion) to week 12
Evolution of retinal hemorrhage if any
Measured: Every 2 weeks from treatment initiation (inclusion) to week 12
Evolution in the atrophic lesions
Measured: Every 2 weeks from treatment initiation (inclusion) to week 12
Occurence the central Retinal Thickness
Measured: Every 2 weeks from treatment initiation (inclusion) to week 12
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted23 Sep 2014 (estimated)
- Study startSep 2014
- Primary completionJun 2015
- Study completionJun 2015
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (6)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Neovascular Age-related Macular Degeneration of All SubtypesStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase 4
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 50 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University Hospital, Bordeaux
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Jean-François KOROBELNIK, Professor, Principal investigator, University Hospital Bordeaux, FranceGeneviève CHENE, MDPhD, Study chair, University Hospital Bordeaux, France
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02246829
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- CHUBX 2013/18
- Other IDs
- 2013-005050-30
- Acronym
- START
- Status last verified
- Nov 2016
- First submitted
- 11 Sep 2014
- Last updated
- 17 Sep 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
Publications
Patel KH, Chow CC, Rathod R, Mieler WF, Lim JI, Ulanski LJ 2nd, Leiderman YI, Arun V, Chau FY. Rapid response of retinal pigment epithelial detachments to intravitreal aflibercept in neovascular age-related macular degeneration refractory to bevacizumab and ranibizumab. Eye (Lond). 2013 May;27(5):663-7; quiz 668. doi: 10.1038/eye.2013.31. Epub 2013 Apr 5.
PubMed 23558214Cruess AF, Zlateva G, Xu X, Soubrane G, Pauleikhoff D, Lotery A, Mones J, Buggage R, Schaefer C, Knight T, Goss TF. Economic burden of bilateral neovascular age-related macular degeneration: multi-country observational study. Pharmacoeconomics. 2008;26(1):57-73. doi: 10.2165/00019053-200826010-00006.
PubMed 18088159Rosenfeld PJ, Brown DM, Heier JS, Boyer DS, Kaiser PK, Chung CY, Kim RY; MARINA Study Group. Ranibizumab for neovascular age-related macular degeneration. N Engl J Med. 2006 Oct 5;355(14):1419-31. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa054481.
PubMed 17021318Cohen SY, Souied EH, Weber M, Dupeyron G, de Pouvourville G, Lievre M, Ponthieux A. Patient characteristics and treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration in France: the LUEUR1 observational study. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2011 Apr;249(4):521-7. doi: 10.1007/s00417-010-1553-0. Epub 2010 Nov 6.
PubMed 21057805Heier JS, Boyer D, Nguyen QD, Marcus D, Roth DB, Yancopoulos G, Stahl N, Ingerman A, Vitti R, Berliner AJ, Yang K, Brown DM; CLEAR-IT 2 Investigators. The 1-year results of CLEAR-IT 2, a phase 2 study of vascular endothelial growth factor trap-eye dosed as-needed after 12-week fixed dosing. Ophthalmology. 2011 Jun;118(6):1098-106. doi: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2011.03.020.
PubMed 21640258Korobelnik JF, Souied EH, Oubraham H, Razavi S, Mauget-Faysse M, Savel H, Chene G, Wolf S. ASSESSMENT OF EARLY CHANGES IN SPECTRAL DOMAIN-OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY AFTER INITIATION OF TREATMENT WITH INTRAVITREAL AFLIBERCEPT (EYLEA) OVER A 12-WEEK PERIOD FOR PATIENTS WITH NEOVASCULAR AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION: A Multicenter French Study (START). Retina. 2021 Mar 1;41(3):588-594. doi: 10.1097/IAE.0000000000002910.
PubMed 33600134
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 17 Sep 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Assessment of Early Changes in SD-OCT After Initiation of a Treatment by Intravitreal Aflibercept (EYLEA®) (2mg) Over a 12-week Period for Patients Suffering From Neovascular Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) French SD OCT in wAMD
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02246829
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- START / CHUBX 2013/18
- Keywords
- wet AMD, SD-OCT, intravitreal injection, central retinal thickness,
- Phase
- Phase 4
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 50 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University Hospital, BordeauxUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- Sep 2014
- Primary completion
- Jun 2015 (actual)
- Study completion
- Jun 2015 (actual)
- First posted
- 23 Sep 2014 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Aflibercept (EYLEA®) induces a rapid reduction in central retinal thickness (CRT) for patients suffering from neovascular age-related-macular degeneration.1 This early dramatic reduction in CRT is already observed through week 4. Therefore it might be not necessary to consistently perform each of the three monthly consecutive intravitreal injections of the so-called loading phase.
Detailed description
The aim of this study is to assess whether the retina of some patients has dried up after the first or second intravitreal injection of Aflibercept (EYLEA®) 2mg and in that event, to determine the proportion of these patients The analysis of the characteristics could help identify a morphotype that would predict whether and when the retina will dry up within the first 3 months of treatment. For some patients having an early drying-up, the third monthly injection might be not necessary 50 naïve patients will be included and will receive a monthly injection over 12 weeks with a biweekly follow-up. Morphological and functional characteristics will be recorded at each visit and will be analyzed. The rate of patients with dry SD-OCT will be assessed.
The study includes 7 visits. The visits are scheduled on an every 2-week basis from baseline to Week 12. V1 (baseline), V3 and V5, the patient will be injected with Aflibercept (EYLEA®) 2mg. In the other visits, the visual acuity test, Fundus photography, SD-OCT, and/or Fluorescein Angiography are performed
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Aflibercept 2mg Intravitreal injection | Other | Procedure: Intravitreal injection2 mg intravitreal Aflibercept initiated with one injection every 4 weeks for three consecutive doses (loading dose) The duration of the follow-up is 12 weeks. This means 3 injections per patient should be given over the study period |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 50 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Men and women ≥ 50 years of age
- Active primary subfoveal choroidal neovascularization (CNV) lesions secondary to AMD including juxtafoveal lesions that affects the fovea as evidenced by FA in the study eye
- Signed Informed Consent
- Willing, committed, and able to return for ALL clinic visits and complete all study-related procedures.
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Prior treatment with anti-VEGF therapy in the study eye
- Active or suspected ocular or periocular infection.
- Active severe intraocular inflammation
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Intravitreal injection2 mg intravitreal Aflibercept initiated with one injection every 4 weeks for three consecutive doses (loading dose) The duration of the follow-up is 12 weeks. This means 3 injections per patient should be given over the study period | Procedure or surgery | Aflibercept 2mg Intravitreal injection |
Primary outcome
Occurence of a Dry SD-OCT 12-week after initiation of a treatment by Aflibercept (EYLEA®) 2mg
Time frame: 12-week after initiation of a treatment by Aflibercept (EYLEA®) 2mg
6 secondary outcomes
Time to get a dry SD-OCT after initiation of a treatment by Aflibercept
Time frame: Every 2 weeks from treatment initiation (inclusion) to week 12
Evolution of morphological and visual modification under Aflibercept (EYLEA®)
Time frame: Every 2 weeks from treatment initiation (inclusion) to week 12
Occurence of pigment epithelial detachment
Time frame: Every 2 weeks from treatment initiation (inclusion) to week 12
Evolution of retinal hemorrhage if any
Time frame: Every 2 weeks from treatment initiation (inclusion) to week 12
Evolution in the atrophic lesions
Time frame: Every 2 weeks from treatment initiation (inclusion) to week 12
Occurence the central Retinal Thickness
Time frame: Every 2 weeks from treatment initiation (inclusion) to week 12
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 17 Sep 2026.
- Background: PubMed 23558214Patel KH, Chow CC, Rathod R, Mieler WF, Lim JI, Ulanski LJ 2nd, Leiderman YI, Arun V, Chau FY. Rapid response of retinal pigment epithelial detachments to intravitreal aflibercept in neovascular age-related macular degeneration refractory to bevacizumab and ranibizumab. Eye (Lond). 2013 May;27(5):663-7; quiz 668. doi: 10.1038/eye.2013.31. Epub 2013 Apr 5.
- Background: PubMed 18088159Cruess AF, Zlateva G, Xu X, Soubrane G, Pauleikhoff D, Lotery A, Mones J, Buggage R, Schaefer C, Knight T, Goss TF. Economic burden of bilateral neovascular age-related macular degeneration: multi-country observational study. Pharmacoeconomics. 2008;26(1):57-73. doi: 10.2165/00019053-200826010-00006.
- Background: PubMed 17021318Rosenfeld PJ, Brown DM, Heier JS, Boyer DS, Kaiser PK, Chung CY, Kim RY; MARINA Study Group. Ranibizumab for neovascular age-related macular degeneration. N Engl J Med. 2006 Oct 5;355(14):1419-31. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa054481.
- Background: PubMed 21057805Cohen SY, Souied EH, Weber M, Dupeyron G, de Pouvourville G, Lievre M, Ponthieux A. Patient characteristics and treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration in France: the LUEUR1 observational study. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2011 Apr;249(4):521-7. doi: 10.1007/s00417-010-1553-0. Epub 2010 Nov 6.
- Background: PubMed 21640258Heier JS, Boyer D, Nguyen QD, Marcus D, Roth DB, Yancopoulos G, Stahl N, Ingerman A, Vitti R, Berliner AJ, Yang K, Brown DM; CLEAR-IT 2 Investigators. The 1-year results of CLEAR-IT 2, a phase 2 study of vascular endothelial growth factor trap-eye dosed as-needed after 12-week fixed dosing. Ophthalmology. 2011 Jun;118(6):1098-106. doi: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2011.03.020.
- Results publication: PubMed 33600134Korobelnik JF, Souied EH, Oubraham H, Razavi S, Mauget-Faysse M, Savel H, Chene G, Wolf S. ASSESSMENT OF EARLY CHANGES IN SPECTRAL DOMAIN-OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY AFTER INITIATION OF TREATMENT WITH INTRAVITREAL AFLIBERCEPT (EYLEA) OVER A 12-WEEK PERIOD FOR PATIENTS WITH NEOVASCULAR AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION: A Multicenter French Study (START). Retina. 2021 Mar 1;41(3):588-594. doi: 10.1097/IAE.0000000000002910.
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Jean-François KOROBELNIK, Professor principal investigator
University Hospital Bordeaux, France
Geneviève CHENE, MDPhD study chair
University Hospital Bordeaux, France
10 sites in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A Phase 4 study testing Intravitreal injection in people with Neovascular Age-related Macular Degeneration of All Subtypes, run by University Hospital, Bordeaux at 10 sites in France.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 17 Sep 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 10 sites in France. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
What does this phase mean?
Phase 4 studies take place after a treatment is approved, to learn more about its long-term benefits and risks in everyday use.
Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Occurence of a Dry SD-OCT 12-week after initiation of a treatment by Aflibercept (EYLEA®) 2mg (time frame: 12-week after initiation of a treatment by Aflibercept (EYLEA®) 2mg). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT02246829, which also lists 6 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 17 Sep 2026.