Aflibercept boosts BCVA in DME

Article

Patients with diabetic macular oedema (DME) who received aflibercept injection demonstrated a significantly greater improvement in mean change in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) from baseline at 52 weeks compared to those who received either bevacizumab or ranibizumab.

Patients with diabetic macular oedema (DME) who received aflibercept injection (EYLEA, Bayer HealthCare) demonstrated a significantly greater improvement in mean change in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) from baseline at 52 weeks compared to those who received either bevacizumab or ranibizumab.

That was the top-line result shared with study investigators in the Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Research Network (DRCR.net) comparative effectiveness study. DRCR.net is in the process of finalizing and verifying the data prior to submission for publication.

Other findings:

  • The median number of injections using the protocol-specified retreatment regimen was one fewer in patients treated with aflibercept compared to bevacizumab and ranibizumab.
  • Fewer patients in the afibercept group received criteria-based macular laser treatments than those treated with bevacizumab and ranibizumab.
  • The rates of most ocular and systemic adverse events were similar across the three study groups.

  • The rates of arterial thromboembolic events (non-fatal stroke, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and vascular death) in the trial were 2% in the aflibercept group, 4% in the bevacizumab group and 5% in the ranibizumab group.

The independent, US National Institutes of Health-sponsored Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Research Network study was designed to compare three anti-VEGF therapies for the treatment of DME. It enrolled 660 patients who were randomized to receive either aflibercept 2 mg, bevacizumab 1.25 mg, or ranibizumab 0.3 mg dosed according to a protocol-specified algorithm. Mean change in BCVA from baseline at 52 weeks was the study's primary endpoint.

Full details of the protocol can be found at www.drcr.net

Newsletter

Join ophthalmologists across Europe—sign up for exclusive updates and innovations in surgical techniques and clinical care.

Recent Videos
A photo of Seville, Spain, with the Congress on Controversies in Ophthalmology logo superimposed on it. Image credit: ©francovolpato – stock.adobe.com; logo courtesy COPHy
Anat Loewenstein, MD, Professor and Director, Department of Ophthalmology, Tel Aviv Medical Center, discusses the Congress on Controversies in Ophthalmology (COPHy)
Anat Loewenstein, MD, speaks about the 22nd Annual Angiogenesis, Exudation, and Degeneration Meeting in February 2025 and shares her global forecast for AI-driven home OCT
Sarah M. Thomasy, DVM, PhD, DACVO, a veterinary ophthalmologist at UC Davis, talks about how her research at the Glaucoma 360 symposium
I. Paul Singh, MD, an anterior segment and glaucoma specialist, discusses the Glaucoma 360 conference, where he participated in a panel discussion on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in glaucoma care.
Charles Wykoff, MD, PhD, discusses his Floretina ICOOR presentation topic, retinal non-perfusion in diabetic retinopathy, with David Hutton, editor of Ophthalmology Times
Elizabeth Cohen, MD, discusses the Zoster Eye Disease study at the 2024 AAO meeting
Victoria L Tseng, MD, PhD, professor of ophthalmology and glaucoma specialist, UCLA
Related Content
© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.