Trends in Research Payments for Age-related Macular Degeneration From 2015 to 2021.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate characteristics of industry and public research payments for age-related macular degeneration studies.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

Studies involving "age-related macular degeneration" or "AMD" from 2015 to 2021 were extracted from the Open Payments Database and the National Eye Institute RePORTER tool and compared to each other.

RESULTS

From 2015 to 2021, 620 ophthalmologists received $178,394,734.09 in industry research payments with a 76.9% increase from 2015 to 2020 and a subsequent 40.7% decrease in 2021. There were 84 female industry funding recipients (13.7%) compared to 528 (86.3%) male recipients (P < 0.001). For public funding, 119 ophthalmologists received $157,319,575.00 with a 31.0% increase from 2015 to 2021. Among 119 principal investigators, 37 (31.1%) were women and 82 (68.9%) were men (P = 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Industry-funded and publicly funded age-related macular degeneration-related research payments overall increased from 2015 to 2021. Funding distribution by sex trended towards male recipients. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina 2025;56:95-100.].