Ranibizumab (ophthalmic)

Ranibizumab is used in adults to treat specific eye issues. It can be given as an injection or as an eye implant.

Ranibizumab may be used to treat wet age-related macular degeneration, swelling in the retina, eye issues caused by diabetes, or nearsightedness due to abnormal blood vessel growth in the eye.

The eye implant is only for certain eye problems in people who have previously responded to similar eye injections.

Ranibizumab may also be used for other reasons not mentioned in this medication guide.

Follow all directions on your prescription label and read all medication guides or instruction sheets.

Ranibizumab injection is given as an injection into the eye. Your doctor will use a numbing medicine on your eye before the injection. You will receive this injection in your doctor's office or another clinical setting.

Ranibizumab eye implant is placed through the white part of the eye by your healthcare provider. Your implant may need to be refilled about every 6 to 9 months, depending on the condition being treated.

Tell your doctor that you have a ranibizumab eye implant before having an MRI or any procedure on your eye.

Your eyes will be checked to ensure ranibizumab has not caused any serious side effects.

Call your doctor right away if you notice the eye implant has moved out of place.

Wash your hands first if you need to rub your eyes or touch the area where the eye implant is located.

You should not receive ranibizumab if you have swelling, redness, or pain in your eyes, or any kind of infection in or around your eyes.

Call your doctor immediately if you have sudden vision issues, eye pain, redness, discharge, or watering in your eye, or if your eyes are more sensitive to light.

You should not receive ranibizumab if you are allergic to it, or if you have:

• swelling, redness, or pain inside or around your eyes; or
• any type of infection in or around your eyes.

Tell your doctor if you have or have ever had:

• an eye infection;
• retinal detachment;
• a heart attack or stroke;
• glaucoma or another condition that increases pressure inside your eyes; or
• taken certain other medicines that can increase bleeding risk such as warfarin, aspirin, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID).

It is not known if ranibizumab will harm an unborn baby. Use effective birth control while using ranibizumab and for at least 12 months after your last dose. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

Ask a doctor if it is safe to breastfeed while using ranibizumab.

Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction: hives, difficulty breathing, swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Ranibizumab may cause serious side effects. Call your doctor right away if you have:

• increased eye pain, swelling, or redness in your eye;
• vision loss with or without pain, sensitivity to light;
• blurred vision, seeing halos around lights;
• a sensation of something in your eye;
• discharge or watery eyes;
• sudden changes in your vision, seeing flashes of light, spots, or shadows; or
• a "spider web" appearance in your vision.

Common side effects of ranibizumab may include:

• eye pain;
• sensitivity to light;
• "floaters" in your vision;
• increased pressure inside the eye; or
• eye redness or a blood spot on the white of your eye.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Usual Adult Dose for Macular Degeneration:

Maintenance dose: 0.5 mg intravitreally once a month (approximately 28 days)Uses: Neovascular (Wet) Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), Myopic Choroidal Neovascularization (mCNV)

Usual Adult Dose for Diabetic Retinopathy:

-DME and Diabetic Retinopathy:Maintenance dose: 0.3 mg intravitreally once a month (approximately 28 days)Uses: Diabetic macular edema (DME); Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) -Macular Edema following RVO:Maintenance dose: 0.5 mg intravitreally once a month (approximately 28 days)Use: Macular Edema Following Retinal Vein Occlusion (RVO)

Usual Adult Dose for Macular Edema:

-DME and Diabetic Retinopathy:Maintenance dose: 0.3 mg intravitreally once a month (approximately 28 days)Uses: Diabetic macular edema (DME); Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) -Macular Edema following RVO:Maintenance dose: 0.5 mg intravitreally once a month (approximately 28 days)Use: Macular Edema Following Retinal Vein Occlusion (RVO)

Call your doctor for instructions if you miss an appointment for your ranibizumab (ophthalmic) injection.

In a medical setting, an overdose will be treated quickly.

Do not drive or engage in hazardous activities until the eye shield is removed and you can see clearly.

Medicine used in the eyes is not likely to be affected by other drugs you take. However, many drugs can interact. Tell your doctor about all your current medicines, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products.

Biosimilar and interchangeable products are biological products that are very similar to and have no significant differences from the reference product.

Reference products

These are biological products that have already been approved by the FDA, which biosimilar products are compared against. There are 2 for ranibizumab ophthalmic.

Lucentis (ranibizumab) - Genentech, Inc.

View Lucentis information in detail.

Susvimo (ranibizumab) - Genentech, Inc.

View Susvimo information in detail.

Lucentis interchangeable products

Interchangeable biosimilar products can be given by a pharmacist without needing approval from the prescriber of the reference product.

Pharmacy laws for biosimilar prescribing may differ by state.

Byooviz (ranibizumab-nuna) - Samsung Bioepis Co., Ltd.

View Byooviz information in detail.

Cimerli (ranibizumab-eqrn) - Sandoz Inc.

View Cimerli information in detail.

Nufymco (ranibizumab-leyk) - Zydus Lifesciences Global FZE

View Nufymco information in detail.