Two Doses of Intravitreal Ziv-Aflibercept versus Bevacizumab in Treatment of Diabetic Macular Edema: A Three-Armed, Double-Blind Randomized Trial.

Purpose: To compare the efficacy of 2 doses of intravitreal ziv-aflibercept (IVZ) with intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) in the treatment of center-involved diabetic macular edema (DME) at 12 weeks.

Design: Three-armed, double-blind, randomized clinical trial.

Participants: Eyes with center-involved DME.

Methods: In this trial, 123 eyes with DME were randomly assigned to 3 injections of 1.25 mg IVZ, 2.5 mg IVZ, and 1.25 mg IVB every 4 weeks. Complete ophthalmologic examination and central macular thickness (CMT) measurement by optical coherence tomography were performed every 4 weeks up to 12 weeks.

Main Outcome Measures: Change in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at 12 weeks.

Results: Although no significant difference was evident between the 2 ziv-aflibercept groups at 12 weeks, the BCVA change was significantly better in the ziv-aflibercept 1.25 mg group than in the IVB group at the 12-week visit (P = 0.021). In regard to CMT changes, there was no significant difference between the 2 ziv-aflibercept groups; however, a significantly greater reduction in CMT was observed in the ziv-aflibercept 2.5 mg group compared with the IVB group at 12 weeks (P = 0.037). Subgroup analysis disclosed no difference in BCVA outcomes at 12 weeks among the groups in the eyes with baseline BCVA ≥20/50. In the eyes with baseline BCVA <20/50, the improvement was significantly better at 12 weeks in the ziv-aflibercept 1.25 mg group compared with the IVB group (P = 0.011).

Conclusions: The 12-week results of this trial disclosed that both 1.25 mg and 2.5 mg doses of IVZ and IVB demonstrated BCVA improvement over baseline in the treatment of center-involved DME. However, a stronger effect of IVZ compared with IVB in terms of both visual acuity improvement and macular thickness reduction was detected in the eyes with initial BCVA <20/50. Longer-term efficacy and safety data will be needed to understand the role for this drug in practice.