Prescription medication · Anti-VEGF (Ophthalmic Injection)
ranibizumab
Also sold as Lucentis. CIMERLI treats several eye conditions.
Data updated 2026-05-15
- 26,174
- FDA reportsModerately reported
- Rx
- Availability
ranibizumab (Lucentis) is a prescription Anti-VEGF (Ophthalmic Injection). CIMERLI treats several eye conditions.
CIMERLI is a medicine used to treat certain eye problems. It helps to stop blood vessels from growing and leaking in the eye.
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What it does
CIMERLI treats several eye conditions.
Common side effects
Redness in the eye, Eye pain, Seeing spots or floaters
Key warnings
Injections with CIMERLI may cause an eye infection or a detached retina.
The sections below are summarized in plain English from ranibizumab's FDA-approved prescribing information. They describe what the official label says, and are not personal medical advice.
How It Works
CIMERLI blocks a protein called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). VEGF can cause abnormal blood vessels to grow in the eye. By blocking VEGF, CIMERLI helps to reduce blood vessel growth and leakage.
How to Take It
CIMERLI is given as an injection into the eye. Your doctor will give you this injection. For wet AMD and RVO, the usual dose is 0.5 mg injected once a month. For DME and DR, the usual dose is 0.3 mg injected once a month. For mCNV, you may get injections once a month for up to 3 months.
This is a plain-language summary of ranibizumab's FDA labeling, not individualized dosing advice. Ask a pharmacist or prescriber before changing how you take this medication.
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
It is not known if CIMERLI can harm an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if CIMERLI passes into breast milk. Talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of breastfeeding while using CIMERLI.
This is a plain-language summary of ranibizumab's FDA labeling, not individualized advice. Ask a pharmacist or prescriber about pregnancy or breastfeeding on this medication.
Missed Dose
If you miss an appointment for your CIMERLI injection, call your doctor as soon as possible to reschedule.
This is a plain-language summary of ranibizumab's FDA labeling, not individualized advice. Ask a pharmacist or prescriber what to do about your specific missed dose.
Storage
Keep CIMERLI in the refrigerator between 36°F and 46°F. Do not freeze it, and keep it protected from light.
Side Effects (from patient reports)
Based on 26,174 FDA adverse event reports.
Most-reported reactions
Adverse reactions in FAERS for ranibizumab, by number of reports
- Death
Death
3,784 reports
- Worse vision
Worse vision
2,889 reports
- Vision problems
Vision problems
1,624 reports
- Stroke 1,235
Stroke
1,235 reports
- Bleeding in the eye 1,041
Bleeding in the eye
1,041 reports
- Loss of sight 1,034
Loss of sight
1,034 reports
- Blurry vision 1,029
Blurry vision
1,029 reports
- Eye pain 954
Eye pain
954 reports
- Bleeding in the retina 789
Bleeding in the retina
789 reports
- Eye infection 726
Eye infection
726 reports
What this shows Bars show how often each reaction was reported, not how likely it is to happen, a report records a temporal association, never proof that the drug caused it.
Reports over time
Adverse-event reports filed for ranibizumab each year to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).
Year-to-year volume tracks usage, prescribing, and scrutiny, not a change in per-patient risk. Source: FDA FAERS.
Where ranibizumab sits
ranibizumab has more FDA adverse-event reports than 61% of the drugs FAERS tracks. A high position reflects how widely a drug is used and watched, not how dangerous it is.
Percentile across all drugs PlainMeds tracks by FAERS report volume. The dot is ranibizumab; the line is the median (50th percentile).
FDA Adverse Event Report Analysis
Detailed analysis of 26,174 reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports span 2005–2025.
Total Reports
26,174
Reports Mentioning Death
5,072
19.4% of reports — not proof of cause
Hospitalization Reports
4,781
Top Indication
Product Used For Unknown Indication
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Most Reported Adverse Reactions (FAERS)
| # | Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DEATH | 3,783 |
| 2 | VISUAL ACUITY REDUCED | 2,888 |
| 4 | VISUAL IMPAIRMENT | 1,623 |
| 5 | CEREBROVASCULAR ACCIDENT | 1,235 |
| 7 | EYE HAEMORRHAGE | 1,041 |
| 9 | BLINDNESS | 1,036 |
| 10 | VISION BLURRED | 1,029 |
| 11 | EYE PAIN | 954 |
| 12 | RETINAL HAEMORRHAGE | 789 |
| 13 | ENDOPHTHALMITIS | 727 |
| 14 | MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION | 688 |
| 15 | CATARACT | 681 |
| 16 | VITREOUS FLOATERS | 618 |
| 17 | FALL | 590 |
| 18 | MALAISE | 582 |
Reactions in Death Reports
Reactions in Hospitalization Reports
Source: FDA FAERS (Adverse Event Reporting System) FDA FAERS (Adverse Event Reporting System) Reports are voluntary and do not establish causation
Serious Warnings
Injections with CIMERLI may cause an eye infection or a detached retina. Tell your doctor right away if you have eye pain, redness, or changes in vision. CIMERLI may increase the risk of blood clots, stroke, or heart attack. There have been rare cases of death in patients with diabetes who were treated with CIMERLI.
Common Questions
What is CIMERLI used for?
How often will I get CIMERLI injections?
Will the injection hurt?
How long will I need to take CIMERLI?
Can CIMERLI cure my eye condition?
What should I do if my vision gets worse?
Are there any other medicines that can interact with CIMERLI?
Can I drive after getting a CIMERLI injection?
What are the signs of an eye infection?
How will I know if CIMERLI is working?
What are the common side effects of ranibizumab?
What drug class is ranibizumab?
Is ranibizumab safe during pregnancy?
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What the FDA Data Shows for ranibizumab
The FDA label for ranibizumab (sold under brand names such as Lucentis) classifies it as a prescription-only medication in the Anti-VEGF (Ophthalmic Injection) class. CIMERLI treats several eye conditions. Official labeling lists 5 commonly reported side effects, including Redness in the eye, Eye pain, Seeing spots or floaters.
Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. For this drug, FAERS contains 26,174 voluntary reports. Interaction data is drawn directly from FDA-approved prescribing information. Acquisition-cost data is surveyed weekly by CMS and updated as manufacturers report changes.
Report counts do not establish causation, a FAERS entry documents a temporal association, not proof that the drug produced the outcome. Widely prescribed medications naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies, so raw totals must be interpreted alongside total exposure. Shortage status, recall history, and patent information further shape supply and switching decisions. This page summarizes public FDA data for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, always consult a licensed healthcare provider before starting, stopping, or changing any medication.
Data Sources
Drug labeling: FDA Drug Labels (SPL/DailyMed). Adverse events: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).
FAERS reports are voluntary and do not establish causation. Drug interactions are derived from FDA labeling and clinical references. Always consult a healthcare professional before making medication decisions.
Last updated: June 17, 2024
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Data currency: FDA FAERS adverse-event reports through 2025, CMS NADAC acquisition-cost pricing effective December 2024, compiled and last refreshed May 2026. See our methodology for per-source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a correction.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FDA Orange Book - approved drug products with therapeutic equivalence. accessdata.fda.gov/cder/ob
- FDA DailyMed - NIH-hosted drug labeling for FDA-approved meds. dailymed.nlm.nih.gov
- FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) - post-marketing safety surveillance. fda.gov/drugs/faers
- NLM RxNorm - standardized clinical drug nomenclature. nlm.nih.gov/research/umls/rxnorm
- CMS Medicare Part B Drug Average Sales Price Files - federal drug pricing data. cms.gov/medicare/part-b-drugs/asp
- FDA Drug Shortages Database - current and resolved drug shortage tracking. accessdata.fda.gov/drugshortages