How Long Does Eylea Stay in Your System? Plus 4 More Eylea FAQs
Key takeaways:
Eylea (aflibercept) and Eylea HD (high-dose aflibercept) are medications that treat certain retina-related eye conditions. They’re injected into your eye to stop the growth of blood vessels that can impair your vision.
It’s estimated that Eylea stays in your system for about 1 to 2 months after an injection. This is why it’s usually injected on a monthly basis. Eylea HD contains a higher dose of medication, so it lasts longer and injections can be given further apart.
Your symptoms may start to improve within the first 4 weeks of Eylea treatment. But it may take longer for the medication to reach its full effects.
There are ways to save on Eylea and Eylea HD. If you’re eligible, manufacturer savings cards can help make your prescription more affordable. Patient assistance programs and biosimilars are also available.
Table of contents
The retina plays a crucial role in your vision. It's responsible for sending visual information to your brain, which allows you to see clearly. If something goes wrong with the retina, serious vision problems can occur. Eylea (aflibercept) and Eylea HD (high-dose aflibercept) are two medications that treat certain retina-related eye conditions.
Eylea and Eylea HD are unique medications because they’re injected into your eye by a trained eye specialist. Understanding how these medications work and how long Eylea stays in your system can help you make informed decisions about your health. Here, we’ll answer five common questions about Eylea and Eylea HD.
1. How long does Eylea stay in your system?
Once they’re injected into your eye, Eylea and Eylea HD don’t reach your bloodstream in significant amounts. Instead, they work directly in your eye and are slowly cleared over time.
It’s estimated that it takes about 1 to 2 months to clear Eylea from your eye once it’s injected. This is why you’ll typically receive Eylea injections every 1 to 2 months. Since Eylea HD contains a higher dose of medication, it seems to last longer once it’s injected into your eye. So Eylea HD doses can be spaced further apart, reducing the number of injections you’ll need each year.
It’s worth noting that since we don’t know exactly how long Eylea and Eylea HD stay in the eye, some prescribers use different methods to determine how often to inject these medications. In some cases, they may gradually increase the time between injections while watching for any returning signs of your eye condition. In other cases, they’ll give an injection as needed once symptoms return. These methods aren’t FDA approved, but they can significantly reduce the number of injections you’ll need and the overall cost of treatment.
2. How does Eylea work?
Eylea and Eylea HD belong to a group of medications called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitors, also known as anti-VEGFs. VEGFs are a group of proteins that stimulate the growth of new blood vessels. High VEGF levels can lead to the growth of abnormal blood vessels in your eye. This can harm your eye and lead to vision problems.
Anti-VEGF medications such as Eylea and Eylea HD block the effects of certain VEGF proteins. Specifically, they target VEGF-A and another VEGF protein known as placental growth factor (PIGF). This slows down or stops the growth of blood vessels and helps improve or prevent vision loss.
Eylea and Eylea HD are biologics, which means they’re made from living sources. It’s hard for biologic medications to reach the retina from your bloodstream. So they must be injected into the eye in order for them to work properly.
3. How long does it take to see the full effects of Eylea?
The time it takes to see the full benefits of Eylea or Eylea HD can vary depending on the condition you have, how severe it is, and how you respond to the medication. While you may begin to notice improvements after your first dose, it may take several months to a year for Eylea and Eylea HD to reach their full effect.
Need an eye injection? Here’s what to expect and how to prepare.
Eye problems caused by diabetes: Learn about common eye problems associated with diabetes and how to prevent them.
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Clinical studies for wet age-related macular degeneration showed vision improvements within the first 4 weeks of treatment for some people. The full effects of Eylea were measured at 1 year and stayed consistent for up to 4 years (when the study ended) in most people.
Similar results were seen for diabetic macular edema, with improved vision within the first 4 weeks and sustained results for up to 5 years for most people. Diabetic retinopathy symptoms showed improvement after the first 8 weeks of treatment that continued for up to 100 weeks (2 years). Eylea seems to be more effective for moderate-to-severe diabetic retinopathy symptoms.
Keep in mind that everyone responds differently to Eylea and Eylea HD treatment. It may remain effective long term for some people, but for others it may stop working as well over time. Keeping your appointments with your eye care team can help them determine how well Eylea is working for you or if a different treatment option is needed.
4. How long do you need to receive Eylea injections?
In most cases, you’ll continue to receive Eylea or Eylea HD injections long term. That’s because they help manage the symptoms of your eye condition, but they don’t cure the underlying problem. However, in some cases you may need fewer injections over time as your symptoms improve.
One exception to this is premature infants with retinopathy. They typically only need one or two doses of Eylea — long-term treatment isn’t common.
5. Who shouldn’t receive Eylea?
Eylea and Eylea HD aren’t recommended if you:
Are allergic to any ingredients in these medications
Have an active eye infection
Have eye-related swelling
Eylea and Eylea HD aren’t recommended while breastfeeding, during pregnancy, or if you’re trying to become pregnant. It’s also recommended that women of childbearing age use contraception while receiving these medications and for at least 3 to 4 months after treatment is stopped.
How to save on Eylea and Eylea HD
There are ways to save on Eylea and Eylea HD, which are available as reference (brand-name) biologics. GoodRx can help you navigate between copay savings cards and patient assistance programs to save money on your prescription.
Save with a copay savings card: If you have commercial insurance, you may be eligible to pay as little as $0 for each Eylea or Eylea HD injection using a savings card from the manufacturer.
Save with patient assistance programs: If you’re uninsured or underinsured, you may be eligible for Eylea and Eylea HD’s patient assistance program, which offers the medication free of cost.
Save with biosimilars: Biosimilars are medications that have similar safety and efficacy as their reference biologic. Eylea has several approved biosimilars. Your prescriber can work with you and your insurance to see if an Eylea biosimilar may be a cost-saving option for you.
The bottom line
Eylea (aflibercept) and Eylea HD (high-dose aflibercept) are FDA-approved medications that treat certain retina-related eye conditions. They’re injected directly into the eye, and we don’t know for sure how long Eylea stays in your system. But most experts estimate that it takes about 1 to 2 months to clear Eylea from your body. This is why the doses are typically injected about 1 to 2 months apart.
Eylea and Eylea HD work by blocking the effects of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). This helps prevent the growth of abnormal blood vessels in the eye that can impair your vision. You may notice symptoms improve within the first 4 weeks of treatment, but it may take up to 1 year for Eylea to reach its full effects. In most cases, you’ll need to receive Eylea or Eylea HD injections long term. But your doses may be given further apart as your symptoms improve.
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References
Brown, D. M., et al. (2021). Evaluation of intravitreal aflibercept for the treatment of severe nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy. JAMA Ophthalmology.
Dewerchin, M., et al. (2012). PlGF: A multitasking cytokine with disease-restricted activity. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine.
García-Quintanilla, L., et al. (2019). Pharmacokinetics of intravitreal anti-VEGF drugs in age-related macular degeneration. Pharmaceutics.
Kaiser, P. K., et al. (2017). Long-term safety and visual outcome of intravitreal aflibercept in neovascular age-related macular degeneration: VIEW 1 extension study. Ophthalmology Retina.
National Eye Institute. (2024). Retinopathy of prematurity. National Institutes of Health.
Nguyen, K. H., et al. (2023). Anatomy, head and neck: Eye retina. StatPearls.
PubChem. (n.d.). Aflibercept. National Library of Medicine.
Purple Book Database of Licensed Biological Products. (n.d.). Eylea. U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. (2024). EYLEA- aflibercept injection, solution [package insert].
Rimpelä, A., et al. (2018). Pharmacokinetic simulations of intravitreal biologicals: Aspect of drug delivery to the posterior and anterior segments. Pharmaceutics.
Turbert, D. (2023). Anti-VEGF treatments. American Academy of Ophthalmology.
Wykoff, C. C., et al. (2017). Long-term outcomes with as-needed aflibercept in diabetic macular oedema: 2-year outcomes of the ENDURANCE extension study. British Journal of Ophthalmology.
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