Diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema (DME): US-approved treatments and how families in the Gulf can access them

Reviewed by the Reserve Meds clinical operations team on 17 October 2026.

What are diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema?

Diabetic retinopathy is an eye condition that can cause vision loss and blindness in people who have diabetes. It affects blood vessels in the retina, the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye. It is the most common cause of vision loss for people with diabetes.^[1]

It may not have symptoms at first, so people with diabetes should have a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once a year. Managing diabetes can help prevent or delay vision loss. Over time, about 1 in 15 people with diabetes will develop diabetic macular edema (DME), swelling in the central part of the retina.^[1]

Medicines that block VEGF are injected into the eye to treat DME and diabetic retinopathy. Your eye specialist decides how often they are needed.^{[2, 3]}

Diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema in the Gulf

A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis in the Oman Medical Journal estimated the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy among people with diabetes in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.^[4]

We checked every medicine on this page against the full SFDA drugs list and the Abu Dhabi Department of Health drug code list on 17 October 2026. 5 of 5 were listed in Saudi Arabia and 5 of 5 in Abu Dhabi. The result for each medicine is shown below. A listing does not mean every hospital stocks the medicine, and federal UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman registers were not checked.^{[5, 6]}

US FDA-approved medicines for diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema

Each medicine below is approved in the US for a specific group of patients. The wording summarizes the current US label. Your specialist decides whether any of them is right for the patient.

• Eylea (aflibercept)
  US FDA-approved for diabetic macular edema and diabetic retinopathy, as well as other retinal conditions. It is an injection into the eye. Biosimilars of aflibercept are listed in some Gulf registers.^[2]
  Current US label version: 7 July 2026. Gulf registers: Saudi Arabia (SFDA drugs list): listed. Abu Dhabi (DoH drug code list): listed. Checked 17 October 2026. Federal UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman: not checked; we confirm for your country when you ask.^{[5, 6]}
  Country access guides: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, India, Pakistan
• Eylea HD (aflibercept 8 mg)
  US FDA-approved for diabetic macular edema and diabetic retinopathy, among other conditions. It is a higher-dose aflibercept injection into the eye.^[7]
  Current US label version: 6 April 2026. Gulf registers: Saudi Arabia (SFDA drugs list): listed. Abu Dhabi (DoH drug code list): listed. Checked 17 October 2026. Federal UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman: not checked; we confirm for your country when you ask.^{[5, 6]}
  Country access guides: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman
• Lucentis (ranibizumab)
  US FDA-approved for diabetic macular edema and diabetic retinopathy, among other conditions. It is an injection into the eye.^[8]
  Current US label version: 21 November 2025. Gulf registers: Saudi Arabia (SFDA drugs list): listed. Abu Dhabi (DoH drug code list): listed. Checked 17 October 2026. Federal UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman: not checked; we confirm for your country when you ask.^{[5, 6]}
  Country access guides: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, India, Pakistan
• Vabysmo (faricimab-svoa)
  US FDA-approved for diabetic macular edema, among other conditions. It blocks VEGF and angiopoietin-2 and is injected into the eye.^[3]
  Current US label version: 15 April 2026. Gulf registers: Saudi Arabia (SFDA drugs list): listed. Abu Dhabi (DoH drug code list): listed. Checked 17 October 2026. Federal UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman: not checked; we confirm for your country when you ask.^{[5, 6]}
  Country access guides: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt
• Beovu (brolucizumab-dbll)
  US FDA-approved for diabetic macular edema and wet age-related macular degeneration. It is an injection into the eye.^[9]
  Current US label version: 3 November 2025. Gulf registers: Saudi Arabia (SFDA drugs list): listed. Abu Dhabi (DoH drug code list): listed. Checked 17 October 2026. Federal UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman: not checked; we confirm for your country when you ask.^{[5, 6]}
  Country access guides: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, India, Pakistan

How families in the Gulf can access treatment

If the medicine is listed in your country. Ask your specialist and the hospital about local supply first. A listing does not mean every hospital stocks the medicine, but it is usually the fastest route, and you may not need us.

If it is not registered. The usual legal route is a named-patient request: the treating hospital, on your specialist's written request, asks the national regulator for permission to import the medicine for one patient, using the US FDA approval as the reference. In Saudi Arabia the SFDA Special Access Program guidance covers these requests; in Bahrain, NHRA Circular 41 of 2020 sets the procedure. Other Gulf countries have their own procedures, which the hospital confirms.^{[10, 11]} Once approval is in place, Reserve Meds arranges supply through a US-licensed pharmaceutical wholesale partner to the hospital.

Who does what

• Your treating specialist decides whether a medicine is right for the patient and writes the medical letter.
• The hospital checks local supply, files any import request, and gives the treatment safely.
• The national regulator decides whether to approve the import of a medicine that is not registered.
• The manufacturer decides where its medicine can be supplied, especially for cell and gene therapies.
• Reserve Meds helps organize records, coordinates US supply through our wholesale partner, shipping and updates to your family. We do not give medical advice.

Documents you will usually need

• A letter from the treating specialist with the diagnosis, past treatments and why this medicine is being considered
• Reports that confirm the diagnosis, such as genetic, pathology, imaging or laboratory results, translated into English where needed
• Recent clinic notes and a list of current medicines
• For a hospital import request: the prescription, the hospital's request form and the written consent of the patient or guardian
• Proof of the US FDA approval and the US prescribing information (we can supply these)

We give you a written timeline estimate for your case before you commit. The regulator, the hospital or treatment center and the manufacturer set their own timelines.

What treatment costs

Quote on request. Your total cost depends on the medicine, the dose, shipping, import steps and coordination. Your coordination fee is quoted in writing for your case before you commit. No hidden charges.

How Reserve Meds helps

Reserve Meds is a digital health company. Medicines are supplied through a US-licensed pharmaceutical wholesale partner. We help your doctor and hospital prepare the file, arrange US supply and temperature-controlled shipping once approval is in place, and keep your family updated. We coordinate access to FDA-approved medicines only. Investigational medicines are only available through a manufacturer's expanded-access program requested by the treating physician; we can explain that route, but we do not supply them.

Sources for the condition-specific answers: ^{[2, 3]}

Related

• Geographic atrophy
• Glaucoma
• Type 2 diabetes
• Eylea: drug overview
• Eylea HD: drug overview
• Lucentis: drug overview
• Named-patient access in the Gulf, explained
• US-approved medicines not yet registered in the Gulf
• Answers to common access questions
• Cross-border disclosures
• اقرأ هذه الصفحة بالعربية
• यह पृष्ठ हिंदी में पढ़ें

This page is general health information, not medical advice. It does not replace a consultation with your doctor.