Aflibercept injections help diabetic retinopathy

A recent clinical trial study found that intravitreal injections of aflibercept (Eylea) reduced the severity of diabetic retinopathy as well as the threat of losing vision in patients with the disease.

402 patients with diabetes and severe treatment-naive Non-Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy participated in the double-blind trial. The average was 56 years with 56% being male and 77% being white.

Those participating were divided randomly into three groups. The first group received a less intensive dosing of 2 mg of intravitreal aflibercept every 16 weeks after 3 initial monthly doses and one 8 week intervail.

The second group received a more intensive regimen of 2 mg of aflibercept every 8 weeks after 5 initial monthly doses during the first year and then flexible as-needed dosing during the second year.

The third group was a placebo group receiving sham injections.

80% of patients who received more intensive dosing of aflibercept for a year saw a two-step greater improvement in the Diabetic Retinopathy Severity Scale (DRSS) compared with only 15% of patients who received placebo injections.

For patients who received a less intensive dosing regimen for a year, 65% of them showed the same amount of improvement. 

A two-year follow-up found that 18.7% of patients who followed the more intensive regimen and 16.3% who followed the less intensive regimen experienced vision-threatening complications versus 50% those in the placebo injection group.