Ranibizumab: uses, dosing, side effects & brands

Q: What is ranibizumab?

Lucentis (Ranibizumab) is a vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor used to treat Diabetic Retinopathy, Macular Edema, Retinal Vein Occlusion.

Q: What kind of drug is ranibizumab?

The FDA classifies ranibizumab as a vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor. VEGF inhibitors block VEGF, the signal that tells the body to grow new blood vessels. By soaking up or blocking this signal, they starve tumors of the new vessels they need to grow, or calm the leaky abnormal vessels that damage the retina in eye diseases. If you are checking whether it is safe to combine with something else, the class is what matters — two drugs from the same class usually should not be stacked.

Q: Can you take ranibizumab with other medicines?

It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run ranibizumab against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.

Q: What brand names is ranibizumab sold under?

We track 2 ranibizumab-containing products in the U.S.: Lucentis and Susvimo. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.

Q: What forms does ranibizumab come in?

Across the brands we track, ranibizumab is currently marketed as injectable, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.

Q: Is there a generic ranibizumab?

We do not currently list a generic-labelled ranibizumab product. That does not always mean none exists — it means none appears under a generic name in the FDA data we track. Ask your pharmacist.

Ranibizumab is a vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor sold in the U.S. under 2 brand and generic names, for diabetic retinopathy, macular edema and retinal vein occlusion. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.

By the pharmaranks editorial teamReviewed against the FDA (openFDA label, NDC Directory & Enforcement) sourcesUpdated Jul 24, 2026How we research

Key facts

Drug class: Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Inhibitor
Treats: Diabetic Retinopathy, Macular Edema and Retinal Vein Occlusion
Available as: Injectable
Sold as: 2 products — Lucentis and Susvimo
Prescription?: Prescription only
Generic available?: Not in our catalog
Boxed warning: Boxed warning

How ranibizumab is dosed

From the FDA label for Lucentis (application BLA125156). Other ranibizumab products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.

For ophthalmic intravitreal injection only ( 2.1 ) Neovascular (Wet) Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) ( 2.2 ): LUCENTIS 0.5 mg (0.05 mL of 10 mg/mL solution) is recommended to be administered by intravitreal injection once a month (approximately 28 days). - Although not as effective, patients may be treated with 3 monthly doses followed by less frequent dosing with regular assessment. - Although not as effective, patients may also be treated with one dose every 3 months after 4 monthly doses. Patients should be assessed regularly. Macular Edema Following Retinal Vein Occlusion (RVO) ( 2.3 ): LUCENTIS 0.5 mg (0.05 mL of 10 mg/mL solution) is recommended to be administered by intravitreal injection once a month (approximately 28 days). Diabetic Macular Edema (DME) and Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) ( 2.4 ): LUCENTIS 0.3 mg (0.05 mL of 6 mg/mL solution) is recommended to be administered by intravitreal injection once a month (approximately 28 days). Myopic Choroidal Neovascularization (mCNV) ( 2.5 ): LUCENTIS 0.5 mg (0.05 mL of 10 mg/mL solution) is recommended to be initially administered by intravitreal injection once a month (approximately 28 days) for up to three months. Patients may be retreated if needed. 2.1 General Dosing Information FOR OPHTHALMIC INTRAVITREAL INJECTION. 2.2 Neovascular (Wet) Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) LUCENTIS 0.5 mg (0.05 mL of 10 mg/mL…

Ranibizumab side effects

The following adverse reactions are discussed in greater detail in other sections of the label: Endophthalmitis and Retinal Detachments [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] Increases in Intraocular Pressure [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) ] Thromboembolic Events [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3) ] Fatal Events in patients with DME and DR at baseline [see Warnings and Precautions (5.4) ] The most common adverse reactions (reported more frequently in LUCENTIS-treated subjects than control subjects) are conjunctival hemorrhage, eye pain, vitreous floaters, and increased IOP ( 6.2 ). To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Genentech at 1-888-835-2555 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. 6.1 Injection Procedure Serious adverse reactions related to the injection procedure have occurred in < 0.1% of intravitreal injections, including endophthalmitis [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] , rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, and iatrogenic traumatic cataract. 6.2 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. The data below reflect exposure to 0.5 mg LUCENTIS in 440 patients with neovascular AMD in Studies AMD-1, AMD-2,…

Who shouldn’t take ranibizumab

Ocular or periocular infections ( 4.1 ) Hypersensitivity ( 4.2 ) 4.1 Ocular or Periocular Infections LUCENTIS is contraindicated in patients with ocular or periocular infections. 4.2 Hypersensitivity LUCENTIS is contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity to ranibizumab or any of the excipients in LUCENTIS. Hypersensitivity reactions may manifest as severe intraocular inflammation.

Ranibizumab drug interactions

Drug interaction studies have not been conducted with LUCENTIS. LUCENTIS intravitreal injection has been used adjunctively with PDT. Twelve of 105 (11%) patients with neovascular AMD developed serious intraocular inflammation; in 10 of the 12 patients, this occurred when LUCENTIS was administered 7 days (± 2 days) after PDT.

Every ranibizumab product we track (2)

Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.

Ranibizumab products
#	Drug	Rating	Type	Form	Generic?	Pharmacy pays
1	Lucentis	70/100	Prescription	Injectable	No data	—	View →
2	Susvimo Boxed warning	70/100	Prescription	Injectable	No data	—	View →

How long ranibizumab keeps

No ranibizumab label we read sets a separate limit for after opening, but they do specify how it must be stored — and the stability behind any date assumes those conditions.

Does ranibizumab expire? The in-use limits and storage rules from its labels

Ranibizumab and breastfeeding

From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.

Milk levels of ranibizumab are very low after intravitreal injection in nursing mothers. It is also likely to be partially destroyed in the infant's gastrointestinal tract and absorption by the infant is probably minimal. Premature infants who have been administered ranibizumab intravitreally in both eyes for retinopathy of prematurity have had no apparent adverse effects up to the second year of life. Since vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) is present in human milk and is thought to help in maturation of the infant’s gastrointestinal tract, concern has been raised about the maternal use of VEGF-A inhibitors during breastfeeding. VEGF-A milk levels may decrease, but are not absent from milk after an injection of ranibizumab. A typical alternative to breastmilk is infant formula, which contains no VEGF-A. There appears to be no reason to withhold breastfeeding after intravitreal ranibizumab. Some sources consider ranibizumab to be the preferred intravitreal VEGF in breastfeeding because of its lower systemic exposure than other agents.

Full LactMed record for ranibizumab: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider instead

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, record revised March 15, 2026. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.

What people report to the FDA about ranibizumab

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 5,286 reports naming ranibizumab, and the FDA flagged 97% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:

visual acuity reduced551 reports
retinal haemorrhage275 reports
cerebrovascular accident272 reports
vitreous haemorrhage202 reports
endophthalmitis199 reports
myocardial infarction197 reports
cataract160 reports
visual impairment156 reports

Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean ranibizumab caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label section above.

Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved August 26, 2026.

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Frequently asked questions

What is ranibizumab?

Lucentis (Ranibizumab) is a vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor used to treat Diabetic Retinopathy, Macular Edema, Retinal Vein Occlusion.

What kind of drug is ranibizumab?

The FDA classifies ranibizumab as a vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor. VEGF inhibitors block VEGF, the signal that tells the body to grow new blood vessels. By soaking up or blocking this signal, they starve tumors of the new vessels they need to grow, or calm the leaky abnormal vessels that damage the retina in eye diseases. If you are checking whether it is safe to combine with something else, the class is what matters — two drugs from the same class usually should not be stacked.

Can you take ranibizumab with other medicines?

It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run ranibizumab against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.

What brand names is ranibizumab sold under?

We track 2 ranibizumab-containing products in the U.S.: Lucentis and Susvimo. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.

What forms does ranibizumab come in?

Across the brands we track, ranibizumab is currently marketed as injectable, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.

Is there a generic ranibizumab?

We do not currently list a generic-labelled ranibizumab product. That does not always mean none exists — it means none appears under a generic name in the FDA data we track. Ask your pharmacist.

Cite this page

APA: pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Ranibizumab: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/ranibizumab
MLA: “Ranibizumab: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/ranibizumab.

We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.

Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.

Read the full FDA label for ranibizumab on DailyMed (NIH) ↗ — including its boxed warning in full.