Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 19, 2026
Use of Rabbit Eyes in Pharmacokinetic Studies of Intraocular Drugs
Published on: July 23, 2016
Systemic Biodistribution and Intravitreal Pharmacokinetic Properties of Bevacizumab, Ranibizumab, and Aflibercept in
John Byron Christoforidis1,2, Karen Briley3, Katherine Binzel3
1Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Science, University of Arizona Medical Center, Tucson, Arizona, United States.
Purpose:
To determine the intravitreal pharmacokinetic properties and to study the systemic biodistribution characteristics of I-124-labeled bevacizumab, ranibizumab, and aflibercept with positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging in a nonhuman primate model.
Methods:
Three groups with four owl monkeys per group underwent intravitreal injection with 1.25 mg/0.05 mL I-124 bevacizumab, 0.5 mg/0.05 mL I-124 ranibizumab, or 2.0 mg/0.05 mL I-124 aflibercept in the right eye of each subject. All subjects were imaged using PET/CT on days 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, 14, 21, 28, and 35. Serum blood draws were performed at hours 1, 2, 4, 8, 12 and days 1, 2, 4, 8, 14, 21, 28, and 35. Radioactivity emission measurements were used to determine the intravitreal half-lives of each agent and to study the differences of radioactivity uptake in nonocular organs.
Results:
The intravitreal half-lives were 3.60 days for I-124 bevacizumab, 2.73 days for I-124 ranibizumab, and 2.44 days for I-124 aflibercept. Serum levels were highest and most prolonged for bevacizumab as compared to both ranibizumab and aflibercept. All agents were primarily excreted through the renal and mononuclear phagocyte systems. However, bevacizumab was also found in significantly higher levels in the liver, heart, and distal femur bones.
Conclusions:
Among the three anti-VEGF agents used in clinical practice, bevacizumab demonstrated the longest intravitreal retention time and aflibercept the shortest. Significantly higher and prolonged levels of bevacizumab were found in the serum as well as in the heart, liver, and distal bones. These differences may be considered by clinicians when formulating treatment algorithms for intravitreal therapies with these agents.
