We would welcome your comments on the draft All Wales wet (neovascular) age-related macular degeneration prescribing guidelines document and the associated Equality and Health Impact Assessment (EqHIA) form.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of sight loss. In a 2012 study, wet AMD (wAMD), also known as neovascular AMD, was estimated to affect 263,000 people in the UK, with the prevalence predicted to rise to 339,000 by 2020. Further projections suggest prevalence of wAMD could increase to 683,000 by 2050.
A significant reduction in blindness registrations due to wAMD was noted following the 2007 introduction of intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapies in the UK and Europe. During the 2025–2026 financial year, NHS Wales spent over £28m on anti-VEGF treatment for retinal conditions, with approximately 77,000 injections administered. The expected increase in incidence and prevalence of wAMD over the coming years will require ophthalmology services to continue to innovate and provide cost-effective, streamlined services to maximise capacity and meet demand for these medicines.
The purpose of these guidelines is to help NHS Wales to realise the benefits of biosimilar anti-VEGFs for patients with wAMD and services by promoting treatment consistency across health boards and facilitating the planning of medicines procurement. The guidelines aim to provide a consensus on general principles for starting, pausing and stopping treatment, the choice of treatment, and treat-and-extend rules that can be applied for biosimilar anti-VEGFs across NHS Wales. The guidelines are for the use of medical and clinical staff and provide information for NHS commissioners and governance.
Closing date: 21 August 2026
⇩ All Wales wAMD prescribing guidelines - Consultation draft 284KB (PDF) |
⇩ All Wales wAMD prescribing guidelines - EqHIA form 210KB (PDF) |
⇩ All Wales wAMD prescribing guidelines - Feedback form 36KB (.docx) |