Short-term treatment outcomes of the ranibizumab biosimilar CKD-701 for vitreous hemorrhage secondary to proliferative diabetic retinopathy

PURPOSE: To evaluate the short-term clinical outcomes of CKD-701, a ranibizumab biosimilar, in treating vitreous hemorrhage (VH) secondary to proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). METHODS: This retrospective study included 64 eyes of 64 patients with VH secondary to PDR who received intravitreal CKD-701 injections and were followed for at least four months. Visual acuity (VA) was assessed at baseline, at the first follow-up (mean 3.8 weeks), and at 2- and 4-months post-treatment. The incidences of recurrent VH and vitrectomy were recorded. The factors associated with the degree of visual improvement were analyzed. RESULTS: The patients received a mean of 1.8 ± 0.9 injections. VA significantly improved over time (mean logMAR VA: 1.29 ± 0.82 at baseline, 1.11 ± 0.84 at first follow-up, 0.94 ± 0.81 at 2 months, and 0.73 ± 0.68 at 4 months; P < 0.001). The proportions of patients achieving 20/40 or better VA at each time point were 18.8%, 25.0%, 29.7%, and 40.6%, respectively. Recurrent VH occurred in 17.2% of patients, and vitrectomy was performed in 12.5%. There was no significant difference in 4-month VA between patients who did and did not undergo vitrectomy (P > 0.999). Baseline VA was significantly associated with the degree of visual improvement (P = 0.010). No severe ocular complications were observed. CONCLUSIONS: In this short-term study, VH secondary to PDR decreased following CKD-701 treatment and was accompanied by visual improvement. Further well-controlled long-term studies are needed to definitively assess the efficacy of CKD-701.