Aflibercept: An update on recent milestones achieved

In the last decade, intravitreal medications targeted to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) such as pegaptanib, ranibizumab and bevacizumab have revolutionized the treatment and significantly improved visual acuity outcomes in patients with retinal vascular diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic macula edema (DME) and retinal vein occlusion (RVO). In recent years, aflibercept, an anti-VEGF drug that targets all isoforms of VEGF as well as placenta growth factor, has shown similar effectiveness in recent clinical trials. Aflibercept has firmly joined ranibizumab and bevacizu-mab as an important therapeutic option in the management of neovascular AMD. More recently, aflibercept appears to be contending with ranibizumab and bevacizumab as an important therapeutic option in the management of DME and RVO.