Presumed Silicone Oil Droplets After Intravitreal Pegcetacoplan Injections.

Importance: Recently, intravitreal pegcetacoplan became the first drug to gain US Food and Drug Administration approval for the treatment of geographic atrophy associated with nonexudative age-related macular degeneration, but the administration of this medication may be associated with unanticipated posttreatment complications.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of presumed silicone oil droplets in the vitreous cavity after intravitreal injection of pegcetacoplan.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This case series study involved a retrospective record review of all 55 patients treated with intravitreal pegcetacoplan, 0.1 mL in 150-mg/mL solution, between March 24 and June 5, 2023, at a single specialty retina practice. All injections were done using needles from the kit supplied by Apellis Pharmaceuticals on a 1-mL McKesson Luer lock syringe.

Main Outcomes And Measures: The presence or absence of presumed silicone bubbles detected during dilated biomicroscopic fundus examination and/or on color fundus photographs, the presence or absence of symptoms, change in visual acuity, and/or increase in intraocular pressure.

Results: A total of 62 intravitreal pegcetacoplan injections were given to 55 patients (mean [SD] age, 83.8 [7.8] years; 33 women [60%]) from March 24 to June 5, 2023. Of the 55 patients, 16 (29%; mean [SD] age, 83.8 [7.4] years; 9 women [56%]) had presumed intravitreal silicone droplets discovered 2 to 4 weeks after treatment, 3 of which were documented on color fundus photographs. Of the 16 patients, 14 (88%) were symptomatic for new floaters that they described as persistent, while 2 (13%) were asymptomatic. There were no signs of inflammation or infection, no increases in intraocular pressure, and no changes in visual acuity for all 16 patients.

Conclusions And Relevance: A substantial percentage of patients had symptomatic floaters from presumed intravitreal silicone oil droplets after injections of pegcetacoplan using a McKesson 1-mL Luer lock syringe. These findings support consideration of informing patients of this potential adverse effect, avoiding use of the McKesson syringe, and considering use of silicone-free syringes for pegcetacoplan injections.