A Clinical Trial of MK-8748 Compared to Aflibercept in Participants With Diabetic Macular Edema (MK-8748-004)
A Randomized, Double-Masked, Multicenter, 3-Arm, Pivotal Phase 3 Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Intravitreal (IVT) MK-8748 Compared With Aflibercept (2 mg) in Participants With Diabetic Macular Edema (DME)
- Diabetic Retinopathy
- Macular Edema
At a glance
- Phase
- Phase 3
- Study type
- Interventional
- Sponsor
- Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
- Enrolment target
- 960
- Started
- 27 August 2026
- Main results due
- 31 October 2028
- Study sites
- 12
- Registry updated
- 28 September 2026
Can you take part?
- Aged 18 years and over.
- Open to any sex.
- You need the condition being studied — healthy volunteers are not accepted.
These are the headline rules only. Every study has a longer list, and whether you are eligible is decided by the research team at the site — never by this page.
Read the full eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria: The main inclusion criteria include but are not limited to the following: * Has Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes mellitus and a hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) of ≤12% * Has a decrease in vision in the study eye determined by the Investigator to be primarily the result of diabetic macular edema (DME) * For participants who are treatment-naïve for DME, the diagnosis must have been made within 9 months of screening. For all treatment-experienced participants, the first treatment should have been no longer than 3 years prior to the Screening visit Exclusion Criteria: The main exclusion criteria include but are not limited to the following: * Has had renal failure requiring renal transplant, hemodialysis, or peritoneal dialysis or has renal failure anticipated to require hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis at any time during the study * Has history of stroke (cerebral vascular accident) or myocardial infarction within 180 days to first dose of study intervention * Has newly diagnosed or previously untreated diabetes mellitus and initiated oral or injectable anti-diabetic medication within 3 months to first dose of study intervention * Has history of cataract surgery and/or minimally invasive glaucoma surgery in the study eye within 90 days of screening * Has any treatment for complications of cataract surgery with steroids or yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) laser capsulotomy in the study eye within 90 days of screening * Has advanced or uncontrolled glaucoma in the study eye * Has any history of retinal detachment or treatment or surgery for retinal detachment in the study eye * Has active retinal disease other than the condition under investigation in the study eye * Has uncontrolled blood pressure at screening
What this study is about
In the sponsor’s own words, from the registry.
Researchers are looking for new ways to treat diabetic macular edema (DME). In this trial, researchers want to learn if a trial medicine called MK-8748 can treat DME. An available standard (usual) treatment for DME is aflibercept. However, standard treatments such as aflibercept may not work for every person.
The main goal of this trial is to learn if MK-8748 works as well as aflibercept to treat DME.
Study sites(12)
Global Research Management ( Site 0066)
Glendale, California, United States
Recruiting
Retina Specialists of Colorado ( Site 0068)
Denver, Colorado, United States
Recruiting
Retina Vitreous Associates of Florida ( Site 0034)
Tampa, Florida, United States
Recruiting
Mid Atlantic Retina ( Site 0062)
Hagerstown, Maryland, United States
Recruiting
Envision Ocular, LLC ( Site 0039)
Bloomfield, New Jersey, United States
Recruiting
Retina Associates of Western NY, PC ( Site 0038)
Rochester, New York, United States
Recruiting
Palmetto Retina Center ( Site 0063)
Florence, South Carolina, United States
Recruiting
Palmetto Retina Center ( Site 0014)
West Columbia, South Carolina, United States
Recruiting
Southeastern Retina Associates PC ( Site 0071)
Johnson City, Tennessee, United States
Recruiting
Austin Retina Associates ( Site 0008)
Austin, Texas, United States
Recruiting
Retina Consultants of Texas ( Site 0001)
Bellaire, Texas, United States
Recruiting
Eyeclinic Albury-Wodonga ( Site 2204)
Albury, New South Wales, Australia
Recruiting
Showing 12 of 12 sites. 12 of the 12 sites on this study are recruiting right now — a site can stop enrolling while the study as a whole is still open.
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT07705555. Trialion does not run this study, is not paid to refer anyone to it, and cannot enrol you. Eligibility is always decided by the research team at the site.
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