A new, higher dose aflibercept (Eylea) 8mg formulation took one step closer to becoming a treatment reality with news that phase III trials will start later this year.

Manufacturers Bayer and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals announced two phase III studies will start in 2020 to evaluate extended treatment intervals in patients with diabetic macular oedema and wet age-related macular degeneration, entitled Photon and Pulsar respectively.

These multi-centre, randomised, double-masked trials will assess the efficacy and safety of aflibercept 8mg in treatment regimens of 12 weeks and greater, said Dr Joerg Moeller, Bayer’s head of research and development. “We have already seen that certain patients are able to achieve excellent visual outcomes on extended dosing intervals up to 16 weeks with Eylea 2mg. The Photon and Pulsar trials will evaluate if even more patients can benefit from longer treatment intervals on aflibercept 8mg.”