Aflibercept was more effective for vision treatment in patients with diabetic macular edema then were two other vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors, bevacizumab and ranibizumab, but only in patients with poor baseline vision, according to Adam Glassman and his associates.
When baseline vision was worse than roughly 20/50, aflibercept improved vision by an average of 19%, compared to 12% with bevacizumab and 14% with ranibizumab. When the initial vision impairment was more mild, all three performed at about the same level. For patients with vision between 20/30 and 20/40, all three drugs improved vision by about 8%. For all patients, aflibercept improved vision by 13%, bevacizumab improved vision by 10%, and ranibizumab improved vision by 11%.
No significant differences in the incidence of serious adverse side effects, hospitalization, major cardiovascular events, or death were found among the three groups, the investigators reported.
Find the full study in the New England Journal of Medicine (doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1414264).