Newly-Approved High Dose Eylea Cuts Down on Injection Frequency

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Regeneron Pharmaceuticals’ high-dose (HD) version. Eyleaa drug used to treat a variety of eye conditions, especially those that affect the retina.

Eylea HD is administered by injection into the eye to target the affected retinal tissue. This injection is given as an outpatient procedure, but patients must go to their eye care provider or retinal specialist’s office to receive the eye injection. The high-dose version requires fewer appointments throughout the year.

“What that really means is fewer office visits.” Michelle Holmes, ODan optometrist at the Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica, California, told Berrywell. “For seniors, coming to the office is not only a financial burden, but it can also be a physical burden. Thanks to the Eylea HD, patients no longer have to come in as often and their lives are significantly improved. It will be easier.”

Here’s what you need to know about the high-dose version of Eylea and how it compares to the original.

What is Airea?

Eylea (aflibercept) is a prescription drug used to treat retinal diseases and conditions such as wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic macular edema, and diabetic retinopathy, Holmes said. Ta.

“The common thread in all of these conditions is leakage from the blood vessels inside the eye,” Holmes says. If left untreated, these eye conditions can lead to serious complications such as retinal detachment, progressive vision loss, and eventually blindness.

Holmes added that age stands out as a significant risk factor for developing AMD. Diabetic macular edema and diabetic retinopathy are mainly caused by poorly controlled diabetes and duration of diabetes.

How is the high-dose version of Eylea different from the regular version?

According to Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, the high-dose Eylea injection is 8 milligrams (mg), while the regular version is only 2 mg. Despite the difference in dosage, both drugs are used to treat the same conditions, including wet AMD, diabetic macular edema and diabetic retinopathy, Holmes said.

The major difference is the frequency of injections. Over time, depending on the patient, the interval between injections may be 4 months instead of 2 months.

In patients with wet AMD and diabetic macular edema, Airy HD It is given monthly for the first 3 months and every 2 to 4 months thereafter. Patients with diabetic retinopathy require injections every 2 to 3 months after an initial injection every 3 months.

Patients with wet AMD taking standard doses of Eylea also need monthly injections for the first three months and then monthly thereafter.

People with diabetic macular edema and diabetic retinopathy require monthly injections at a standard dose for the first 5 months. After that, the frequency can be reduced to once every two months.

What this means for patients

Holmes said the approval of the higher dose of Eylea means that patients with wet AMD, diabetic macular edema, and diabetic retinopathy will be able to experience a lower dose after their first monthly dose than with the lower dose. This means fewer injections will be required. No more frequent visits to the doctor’s office.

Additionally, the approval of higher doses will allow retinal specialists and ophthalmologists to free up space in their schedules to see additional patients for other eye concerns and conditions, it added.

Another benefit of the lower dosage is that there are fewer potential side effects. Common but benign side effects of eye injections include damage to blood vessels within the eye, eye pain or discomfort at the injection site, blurred vision, floaters in the field of vision, and increased intraocular pressure. . Yuna Rapoport, MD, MPHA board-certified ophthalmologist at New York’s Manhattan Eye told Berrywell.

“The higher the dose, the less frequently it has to be administered. Less frequent dosing means fewer side effects and a more comfortable experience for the patient,” she said.

Approval of higher doses of Eylea could reduce the number of injections patients with certain eye conditions receive per year, but it is still a treatment that patients will likely need for the rest of their lives. It is important to keep in mind that

Other treatment options for retinal diseases

In addition to HD Eylea, there are other medications to manage wet AMD, diabetic macular edema, and diabetic retinopathy. Avastin and Lucentis. These drugs are also injectables designed to inhibit abnormal blood vessel growth, reduce leakage, and slow vision loss.

Laser therapies such as photocoagulation can also be used to treat these conditions by targeting more specific areas of the eye, Holmes said.