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World J Diabetes. Dec 15, 2013; 4(6): 310-318
Published online Dec 15, 2013. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v4.i6.310
Ranibizumab in diabetic macular edema
Claudia Krispel, Murilo Rodrigues, Xiaoban Xin, Akrit Sodhi
Claudia Krispel, Murilo Rodrigues, Xiaoban Xin, Akrit Sodhi, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, United States
Author contributions: Krispel C, Rodrigues M, Xin X and Sodhi A wrote the manuscript; Krispel C and Sodhi A created the figures.
Supported by National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health Grant, No. K08-EY021189; and an Unrestricted Grant from Research to Prevent Blindness; A Career Development Award Recipient from the Research to Prevent Blindness Foundation to Dr. Sodhiand; Scholar at the Wilmer Eye Institute to Ryan SJ
Correspondence to: Akrit Sodhi, MD, PhD, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 400 N Broadway Street, Smith Building 4039, Baltimore, MD 21287,United States. sodhi1@jhmi.edu
Telephone: +1-410-6146682 Fax: +1-410-6146682
Received: December 27, 2012
Revised: March 20, 2013
Accepted: April 10, 2013
Published online: December 15, 2013
Processing time: 358 Days and 0.2 Hours
Abstract

By 2050 the prevalence of diabetes will more than triple globally, dramatically increasing the societal and financial burden of this disease worldwide. As a consequence of this growth, it is anticipated that there will be a concurrent rise in the numbers of patients with diabetic macular edema (DME), already among the most common causes of severe vision loss worldwide. Recent available therapies for DME target the secreted cytokine, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). This review focuses on the treatment of DME using the first humanized monoclonal antibody targeting VEGF that has been Food and Drug Administration-approved for the use in the eye, ranibizumab (Lucentis®).

Keywords: Diabetes; Macular edema; Vascular endothelial growth factor; Ranibizumab; Lucentis®; Bevacizumab; Avastin®; Intravitreal injection

Core tip: This article reviews the use of ranibizumab for diabetic macular edema. The article presents recent data on which the practice of ranibizumab injections for diabetic macular edema is based, and highlights issues regarding efficacy, safety, and other important considerations for any retina provider using ranibizumab in practice.