[Management of aflibercept in routine clinical practice]

Aflibercept is a new anti-vegf drug that, unlike ranibizumab and bevacizumab blocks both vegf-A and placental growth factor. Moreover, it binds with much greater strength and affinity to human VEGF-A165 than other endogenous vegf receptors, conferring it with a more extended effect and allowing a lower frequency of intravitreal injections. This facilitates the adoption of fixed treatment regimens other than monthly or individual regimens such as "treat and extend". Aflibercept is indicated for the treatment of neovascular (exudative) age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), visual alteration due to macular edema secondary to central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) and visual alteration due to diabetic macular edema (DME). The present article reviews the management of aflibercept in routine clinical practice, based on the specifications of its new core data sheet, which includes all the therapeutic indications in which its use has been approved and evaluating the distinct alternatives and treatment regimens after the initial loading doses.