title: Vascular endothelial growth factor trap-eye (Aflibercept) for the management of diabetic macular edema.
abstract: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the most common cause of visual loss among working age individuals. Diabetic macular edema (DME) is an important complication of DR that affects around one third of the patients with DR. Several treatments have been approved for DME ranging from blood pressure and glycemic control to photocoagulation and more recently the use of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) antagonists. The index review discusses aflibercept (EYLEA(®)-Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Tarrytown, New York, NY, and Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals, Berlin, Germany) in the context of other VEGF antagonists currently available for the treatment of DME. A systematic search of literature was conducted on PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar with no limitation on language or year of publication. Pre-clinical studies of aflibercept have shown a higher affinity of this molecule for vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) along with a longer duration of action as compared to other VEGF antagonists. Recent clinical trials have shown visual outcome results for aflibercept to be similarly favorable as compared to other available agents with the added benefit of fewer required injections and less frequent monitoring. Aflibercept presents a potential exciting new addition to the armamentarium of current VEGF antagonists available for the treatment of DME and other retinal vascular diseases. However, further studies are indicated to confirm the role, safety, and efficacy of aflibercept for DME.
authors.affiliation: Ahmadreza Moradi, Yasir Jamal Sepah, Mohammad Ali Sadiq, Humzah Nasir, Salima Kherani, Raafay Sophie, Diana V Do, Quan Dong Nguyen, Retinal Imaging Research and Reading Center, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, United States.
authors.forename: Ahmadreza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moradi
authors.affiliation: Ahmadreza Moradi, Yasir Jamal Sepah, Mohammad Ali Sadiq, Humzah Nasir, Salima Kherani, Raafay Sophie, Diana V Do, Quan Dong Nguyen, Retinal Imaging Research and Reading Center, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, United States.
authors.forename: Yasir Jamal
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Sepah
authors.affiliation: Ahmadreza Moradi, Yasir Jamal Sepah, Mohammad Ali Sadiq, Humzah Nasir, Salima Kherani, Raafay Sophie, Diana V Do, Quan Dong Nguyen, Retinal Imaging Research and Reading Center, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, United States.
authors.forename: Mohammad Ali
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Sadiq
authors.affiliation: Ahmadreza Moradi, Yasir Jamal Sepah, Mohammad Ali Sadiq, Humzah Nasir, Salima Kherani, Raafay Sophie, Diana V Do, Quan Dong Nguyen, Retinal Imaging Research and Reading Center, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, United States.
authors.forename: Humzah
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nasir
authors.affiliation: Ahmadreza Moradi, Yasir Jamal Sepah, Mohammad Ali Sadiq, Humzah Nasir, Salima Kherani, Raafay Sophie, Diana V Do, Quan Dong Nguyen, Retinal Imaging Research and Reading Center, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, United States.
authors.forename: Salima
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kherani
authors.affiliation: Ahmadreza Moradi, Yasir Jamal Sepah, Mohammad Ali Sadiq, Humzah Nasir, Salima Kherani, Raafay Sophie, Diana V Do, Quan Dong Nguyen, Retinal Imaging Research and Reading Center, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, United States.
authors.forename: Raafay
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sophie
authors.affiliation: Ahmadreza Moradi, Yasir Jamal Sepah, Mohammad Ali Sadiq, Humzah Nasir, Salima Kherani, Raafay Sophie, Diana V Do, Quan Dong Nguyen, Retinal Imaging Research and Reading Center, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, United States.
authors.forename: Diana V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Do
authors.affiliation: Ahmadreza Moradi, Yasir Jamal Sepah, Mohammad Ali Sadiq, Humzah Nasir, Salima Kherani, Raafay Sophie, Diana V Do, Quan Dong Nguyen, Retinal Imaging Research and Reading Center, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, United States.
authors.forename: Quan Dong
authors.initials: QD
authors.lastname: Nguyen
keywords: Aflibercept; Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor agents; Diabetic macular edema; Diabetic retinopathy; EYLEA; Vascular endothelial growth factor trap-eye