Eylea (aflibercept) is a brand-name medication that helps stop certain eye conditions from progressing. Biosimilar drugs that work in the same way as Eylea are available and offer affordable alternatives.
Eylea is a biologic drug that works to prevent the growth of atypical blood vessels and reduce the leaking from existing blood vessels within the eye. A biologic is a class of drugs manufactured from a living system, such as an animal or plant cell. They are typically proteins isolated from natural sources.
Alternatives to Eylea, called biosimilars, are designed to have the same properties and clinical effects in the body, even though they are chemically distinct. But you can expect the same safety and effectiveness from biosimilar drugs, often at a more affordable cost.
In this article, we explain biosimilar alternatives to Eylea, including what they are and how they are given.
Eylea is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help slow the progression of vision loss from certain eye conditions that result in leaky blood vessels in your retina or macula. Unusual symptoms in the blood vessels of your eye, such as leaking, can cause blurriness or loss of vision.
Eylea belongs to the group of medications called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitors. VEGF is a protein that helps the growth of new blood vessels and may contribute to them becoming leakier. With certain eye conditions, a doctor will give Eylea injections into the eye once per month to reduce the activity of VEGF. This helps prevent blood vessel leakage and slow the growth of new leaky blood vessels in your retina.
Currently, two biosimilar medications can replace Eylea in treating unusual blood vessel growth in the eye. The
- wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
- macular edema following retinal vein occlusion
- diabetic macular edema
- diabetic retinopathy
Like Eylea, Yesafili and Opuviz are injectable medications that are injected into your eye.
In October 2021, the FDA approved an alternative to Eylea that does not require monthly injections to the eye. This is the Susvimo implant, which healthcare professionals use to treat people with wet AMD.
This refillable implant is less than the size of a grain of rice and delivers VEGF-inhibiting medication to the retina. It contains the alternative VEGF-inhibiting drug Lucentis (ranibizumab).
If you wish to find an alternative to Eylea, talk with your doctor. They will help find another medication that may work for you.
Eylea is a biologic medication that helps slow the progression of vision loss from different eye conditions. It is an injectable medication that belongs to the VEGF-inhibiting class of drugs. Doctors prescribe it for diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, and more. A doctor injects Eylea into the eye to help stop leaky blood vessels in your retina, which can lead to vision loss.
Two biosimilar drugs that work the same way as Eylea are also available. Examples include Yesafili and Opuviz. If you wish to try an alternative medication to Eylea, talk with your doctor. They will help create a treatment plan that is best for you.