New dosing strategy could mean fewer eye injections for Diabetes-Related vision loss
NCT ID NCT07612904
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tests whether a treat-and-extend schedule for aflibercept eye injections works better than the standard as-needed approach for people with diabetic macular edema who have not had prior treatment. About 186 participants will receive three monthly injections, then either extend the time between injections based on eye health or get injections only when fluid returns. The main goal is to see which schedule leads to better vision after one year.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- aflibercept (Zhuochuming®) eye injection
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show that a treat-and-extend schedule works as well as or better than the standard as-needed approach, potentially reducing the number of injections needed over time.
- What could go wrong
- This is a phase 4 trial, so the drug is already approved. However, the treat-and-extend regimen may not prove superior, and some patients may still need frequent injections. Eye injections carry risks like infection or inflammation.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 4
Runs after approval, following long-term safety and how well the treatment works in everyday use.
- Participants
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About 186 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Jun 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Subject voluntarily participates in the study and signs the informed consent form. 2. Subject is aged ≥18 years and has a diagnosis of type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus. 3. Refractive status and axial length of the study eye: -6.00D \< spherical equivalent \< +6.00D, or 21 mm \< axial length \< 26 mm. 4. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of the study eye at screening and baseline is between 78 and 24 ETDRS letters (approximately equivalent to Snellen 20/32 to 20/320). 5. Female subjects of childbearing potential must have a negative urine or serum pregnancy test within 3 days before the first dose and must use an acceptable method of contraception. 6. Subject is willing and able to comply with scheduled visits, treatment plan, laboratory tests, and other study requirements. 7. The study eye has center-involving diabetic macular edema (DME), defined as central retinal thickness (CRT) ≥300 μm (or ≥320 μm assessed by Heidelberg Spectralis) confirmed by the reading center of the Third People's Hospital of Dalian (primary center) at baseline visit. The reading center is composed of three senior vitreoretinal specialists and experts from the functional examination department of the Third People's Hospital of Dalian. 8. Visual impairment is primarily caused by DME. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Known hypersensitivity to any component of the study drug. 2. Prior intraocular surgery in the study eye, including macular laser photocoagulation, panretinal photocoagulation, etc. 3. Prior intraocular or periocular steroid treatment in the study eye. 4. Prior intravitreal anti-VEGF therapy (e.g., ranibizumab, conbercept, bevacizumab) in the study eye. 5. Prior photodynamic therapy in the study eye. 6. Active ocular inflammation (including trace or more) in either eye. 7. Aphakia or absence of the posterior capsule in the study eye (excluding pseudophakic eyes). 8. History of corneal transplantation in the study eye. 9. History of idiopathic or autoimmune uveitis in either eye. 10. Uncontrolled glaucoma in the study eye (defined as intraocular pressure \>25 mmHg despite anti-glaucoma medication) or history of glaucoma filtering surgery. 11. Any history of vitreous hemorrhage in the study eye within 4 weeks prior to screening. 12. Presence of other retinal diseases in the study eye, such as retinal detachment, retinal vein occlusion, etc. 13. Inadequately controlled hypertension (systolic blood pressure ≥160 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure ≥95 mmHg based on average of ≥2 measurements), allowing improvement with antihypertensive treatment; or history of hypertensive crisis or hypertensive encephalopathy. 14. Severe cardiovascular disease (myocardial infarction or cerebrovascular accident), unstable arrhythmia, or unstable angina within 3 months prior to the first dose. 15. Renal failure requiring dialysis or kidney transplantation. 16. Female subjects who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning to become pregnant during the study period. 17. History of schizophrenia or substance abuse (psychoactive drugs). 18. Concurrent enrollment in another clinical study, unless it is an observational (non-interventional) study or the follow-up phase of an interventional study. 19. Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level ≥10%, and/or recent signs of uncontrolled diabetes (≥3 episodes of severe hypoglycemia within 3 months before baseline, or hospitalization due to acute hyperglycemia-related complications such as diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), hyperglycemic hyperosmolar state (HHS), or other emergencies caused by severe hyperglycemia (e.g., dehydration, electrolyte disturbance, altered consciousness); or ≥2 episodes of DKA within 1 year before baseline, or ≥1 episode of DKA within 3 months before baseline). 20. Presence of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) in the study eye. 21. Ocular disease in the study eye that may confound interpretation of study results, including choroidal neovascularization (CNV) of any cause (e.g., age-related macular degeneration, ocular histoplasmosis, or pathologic myopia). 22. Cataract in the study eye that causes visual impairment, or patients judged by the investigator as likely to undergo cataract surgery during the study period. 23. The study eye is aphakic (post-vitrectomy), silicone oil-filled, or gas-filled. 24. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of the non-study eye \<19 ETDRS letters (approximately equivalent to Snellen 20/400) at screening and baseline. 25. Any other condition that, in the opinion of the investigator, makes the subject unsuitable for participation in the study.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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The Third Peoples Hospital of Dalian
Dalian, Liaoning, 1160033, China
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- High-Dose eye injection tested against stubborn diabetic swelling
- One eye injection, four targets: GenSci148 tested against retinal swelling
- Can one shot in the eye treat diabetic macular edema?
- Could a pill replace eye injections for diabetic vision loss?
- Can a new eye injection beat the current standard for diabetic vision loss?
- AI could predict which eye treatments work best for Diabetes-Related vision loss