Regeneron’s Eylea OK’d for Diabetic Retinopathy

FDA has approved Regeneron Pharmaceuticals’ Eylea (aflibercept) injection to treat all stages of diabetic retinopathy. Approval was based on data from the PANORAMA trial which showed that “20% of untreated patients developed proliferative diabetic eye disease, and Eylea reduced this risk by 85% to 88% when administered using an every 16-week or eight-week dosing regimen, respectively,” the company says.

It describes Eylea as a VEGF inhibitor designed to block the growth of new blood vessels and decrease the ability of fluid to pass through blood vessels (vascular permeability) in the eye by blocking VEGF-A and placental growth factor, two growth factors involved in angiogenesis. Previously, the drug was approved for treating patients with neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration, macular edema following retinal vein occlusion, and diabetic macular edema.