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First and only FDA-approved treatment for RVO indicated for up to every 8-week dosing after an initial monthly dosing period
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Monthly dosing option in all approved indications provides greater dosing flexibility for more personalized patient care
TARRYTOWN, N.Y., Nov. 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved EYLEA HD® (aflibercept) Injection 8 mg for the treatment of patients with macular edema following retinal vein occlusion (RVO) with up to every 8-week dosing after an initial monthly dosing period. The FDA also approved an every 4-week (monthly) dosing option for some patients who may benefit from resuming this dosing schedule across approved indications: wet age-related macular degeneration (wAMD), diabetic macular edema (DME), diabetic retinopathy (DR) and RVO.
"We believe these approvals further position EYLEA HD as a treatment of choice for certain retinal diseases and underscore our relentless commitment to meeting the needs of patients and the retina specialists who treat them,” said George D. Yancopoulos, M.D., Ph.D., co-Founder, Board Co-Chair, President and Chief Scientific Officer, at Regeneron. “EYLEA HD is the first treatment for retinal vein occlusion that can potentially cut the number of injections that patients receive in half compared to existing therapies. And with the addition of a monthly dosing option for all four approved EYLEA HD indications, physicians now have greater flexibility and optionality to tailor treatment to meet individual patient needs.”
The FDA approval for the treatment of RVO is based on data from the Phase 3 QUASAR trial that evaluated the efficacy and safety of EYLEA HD compared to EYLEA® (aflibercept) Injection 2 mg in patients with RVO. QUASAR met its primary endpoint at 36 weeks, with EYLEA HD patients dosed every 8 weeks (after either 3 or 5 monthly doses) achieving non-inferior visual acuity gains compared to those receiving EYLEA dosed every 4 weeks. The EYLEA HD results were consistent across patients with branch retinal vein occlusions, and those with central retinal or hemiretinal vein occlusions. In RVO, the most common adverse reactions reported in ≥3% of patients treated with EYLEA HD were intraocular pressure increased, vision blurred, cataract, conjunctival hemorrhage, ocular discomfort/eye pain/eye irritation and vitreous detachment.
In regard to the EYLEA HD pre-filled syringe (PFS), Regeneron continues to coordinate with Catalent Indiana, LLC (part of Novo Nordisk A/S) as it works to resolve the outstanding issues identified from a July 2025 FDA general site inspection (not specific to EYLEA HD). As previously disclosed, Regeneron also plans to submit to the FDA an application to include an alternate PFS manufacturing filler for the EYLEA HD BLA by January 2026.
EYLEA HD is approved with dosing intervals from every 8 to 16 weeks for patients with wAMD and DME (following 3 initial monthly doses), every 8 to 12 weeks for patients with DR (following 3 initial monthly doses), and every 8 weeks for patients with RVO (following 3 to 5 initial monthly doses). In clinical trials, some EYLEA HD patients did not maintain a response with extended dosing intervals after successful response to initial monthly doses; these patients may benefit from resuming every 4-week dosing.
Regeneron is committed to helping patients who have been prescribed EYLEA HD access their medication. EYLEA 4U helps patients understand how EYLEA HD may be covered by their health insurance plans and assists eligible patients who need financial assistance for their EYLEA HD prescription. For more information, please call 1-855-EYLEA4U (1-855-395-3248) Option 4, or visit www.EYLEAHD.com.
About the QUASAR Trial
QUASAR is a global double-masked, active-controlled Phase 3 trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of EYLEA HD in patients with macular edema secondary to RVO, including those with central retinal vein occlusion, branch retinal vein occlusion, or hemiretinal vein occlusion.
In the trial, patients were randomized into three groups to receive either: EYLEA HD every 8 weeks following 3 initial monthly doses; EYLEA HD every 8 weeks following 5 initial monthly doses; or EYLEA every 4 weeks. The primary endpoint was mean change in BCVA from randomization through week 36, as measured by the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study letter score.
QUASAR is being operationalized by Bayer under a collaboration agreement with Regeneron.
About Retinal Vein Occlusion
RVO is a common cause of vision loss in adults and the second most common retinal vascular disease. RVO occurs when there is a blockage in a vein in the retina, which leads to a buildup of blood, restricted blood flow, increased pressure and sometimes pain in the eye. RVO may cause sudden blurry vision or vision loss and can ultimately result in serious complications like swelling in the eye called macular edema.
A protein called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is instrumental in causing the vascular leakage that leads to macular edema. When a vein in the retina is blocked, the levels of VEGF increase, which spurs new blood vessel growth. Too much VEGF can lead to the formation of abnormal blood vessels and may cause vision to become blurry. Anti-VEGF injections are commonly used to treat macular edema due to RVO.
There are two main types of RVO: central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) and branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO). In CRVO, the buildup occurs in the eye’s central retinal vein and in BRVO, the buildup occurs in one of the smaller branch veins. Globally, RVO affects over 28 million people.
About EYLEA HD
Over a decade ago, Regeneron introduced EYLEA, a vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor, and transformed the treatment paradigm for certain serious chorioretinal vascular diseases. With a well-established efficacy and consistent safety profile from 16 pivotal trials, EYLEA is approved to treat vision-threatening conditions that impact patients from their earliest days, such as retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), to their later years, including diabetic macular edema (DME), diabetic retinopathy (DR), macular edema following retinal vein occlusion (RVO) and wet age-related macular degeneration (wAMD).
Pushing the boundaries of science further to meet patient needs, EYLEA HD was developed to achieve comparable efficacy and safety to EYLEA, but with fewer injections. EYLEA HD is supported by a robust body of research and is currently approved in the U.S. to treat patients with wAMD, DME and DR.
EYLEA HD (known as Eylea™ 8 mg in the European Union and Japan) is being jointly developed by Regeneron and Bayer AG. Regeneron maintains exclusive rights to EYLEA and EYLEA HD in the U.S. Bayer has licensed the exclusive marketing rights outside of the U.S., where the companies share equally the profits from sales of EYLEA and EYLEA HD.
About Ophthalmology Development at Regeneron
At Regeneron, we relentlessly pursue groundbreaking innovations in eye care science to help maintain the eye health of the millions of Americans impacted by vision-threatening conditions. Our expertise in angiogenesis and decades of research serve as our foundation, fueling our ongoing ambition to further innovate new solutions for patients. Our robust and diverse research and development program in ophthalmology includes efforts to potentially address additional serious eye diseases, including geographic atrophy (ongoing Phase 3 SIENNA clinical trial), glaucoma and certain inherited retinal diseases.
About Regeneron
Regeneron (NASDAQ: REGN) is a leading biotechnology company that invents, develops and commercializes life-transforming medicines for people with serious diseases. Founded and led by physician-scientists, our unique ability to repeatedly and consistently translate science into medicine has led to numerous approved treatments and product candidates in development, most of which were homegrown in our laboratories. Our medicines and pipeline are designed to help patients with eye diseases, allergic and inflammatory diseases, cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, neurological diseases, hematologic conditions, infectious diseases, and rare diseases.
Regeneron pushes the boundaries of scientific discovery and accelerates drug development using our proprietary technologies, such as VelociSuite®, which produces optimized fully human antibodies and new classes of bispecific antibodies. We are shaping the next frontier of medicine with data-powered insights from the Regeneron Genetics Center® and pioneering genetic medicine platforms, enabling us to identify innovative targets and complementary approaches to potentially treat or cure diseases.