Columbia, SC—A 2-year clinical trial comparing three drugs for diabetic macular edema (DME) found that patients with 20/32 or 20/40 vision had similar gains at the start of treatment, according to a study published recently in Ophthalmology. Only among participants starting treatment with 20/50 or worse vision were gains in vision greater for those receiving the drug Eylea (aflibercept) than for those receiving Avastin (bevacizumab), according to the investigation by the Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Research Network, which is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Improvement after 2 years was about the same for Eylea and Lucentis (ranibizumab), contrary to first-year results from the study, which showed Eylea with a clear advantage, according to the authors. Background information in the article notes that Eylea, Avastin, and Lucentis are all commonly used to treat DME.

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