Ten years of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy

The targeting of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), a crucial regulator of both normal and pathological angiogenesis, has revealed innovative therapeutic approaches in oncology and ophthalmology. The first VEGFA inhibitor, bevacizumab, was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2004 for the first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer, and the first VEGFA inhibitors in ophthalmology, pegaptanib and ranibizumab, were approved in 2004 and 2006, respectively. To mark this tenth anniversary of anti-VEGFA therapy, we discuss the discovery of VEGFA, the successes and challenges in the development of VEGFA inhibitors and the impact of these agents on the treatment of cancers and ophthalmic diseases.