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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Med.
Sec. Ophthalmology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1528104
Efficacy and safety of intravitreal injection of aflibercept biosimilar for treating diabetic macular edema
Provisionally accepted- Zibo Central Hospital, Shandong, China
Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of intravitreal injection of aflibercept biosimilar in the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME). Methods: Clinical data were collected from 33 patients (40 eyes) newly diagnosed with DME in the ophthalmology department of our hospital between February and April 2024, all of whom were treated with the aflibercept biosimilar. Patients were managed according to the 3+ Pro re nata (PRN) regimen and completed a minimum follow-up period of 6 months. The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) testing, optical coherence tomography, optical coherence tomography angiography, and multifocal electroretinography were performed before and after treatment. BCVA and central retinal thicknesses (CRT) were compared at baseline and at 1, 3, and 6 months post-treatment. Additionally, the changes in foveal avascular zone area, vascular density (VD) of superficial and deep retinal capillaries in the macular region, and the first positive peak amplitude density in ring 1 were analyzed at 6 months post-treatment. Results: BCVA improved significantly from 0.53±0.12 logMAR at baseline to 0.31±0.12, 0.26±0.10, and 0.26±0.08 logMAR at 1, 3, and 6 months post-treatment, respectively, (P<0.05). CRT decreased significantly from 422.4±63.04 µm at baseline to 294.7±47.89, 272.1±47.43, and 281.0±40.72 µm at 1, 3, and 6 months post-treatment, respectively, (P<0.05). The foveal avascular zone area significantly reduced from 0.40±0.08mm 2 at baseline to 0.35±0.07 mm 2 at 6 months post-treatment. Superficial VD increased significantly from 38.90±7.88% at baseline to 41.21±7.98% at 6 months post-treatment, while deep VD significantly increased from 35.67±7.50% at baseline to 38.72±6.90% (P < 0.05). The first positive peak amplitude improved significantly from 55.30±9.45 nv/deg 2 to 72.90±7.44 nv/deg 2 at 6 months post-treatment (P<0.05). Conclusions: Intravitreal injections of aflibercept biosimilar can significantly reduce DME; improve BCVA, enhance macular perfusion, and restore macular function.
Keywords: aflibercept biosimilar, diabetic macular edema, Foveal avascular zone, Vascular density, Multifocal electroretinography
Received: 14 Nov 2024; Accepted: 05 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhai, Sun, Zhang and Su. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Yuan-Zhen Su, Zibo Central Hospital, Shandong, China
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