On February 7, 2022, Healthline reported that the FDA had approved Vabysmo (faricimab-svoa), an injectable therapy for those with wet age-relate macular degeneration (wAMD) and diabetic macular edema. This approval is especially interesting considering that it is the first drug of its kind to be approved for both wAMD and diabetic macular edema. Now, patients have an additional therapeutic option to help prevent or slow progressive vision loss.
Vabysmo
According to an investor update from Roche, Vabysmo is a bispecific antibody that:
targets and inhibits two disease pathways linked to a number of vision-threatening retinal conditions by neutralising angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A). Ang-2 and VEGF-A contribute to vision loss by destabilising blood vessels, causing new leaky blood vessels to form and increasing inflammation.
Vabysmo is administered through injections into the eye. The therapy also reduces the burden of care, compared to the current standards-of-care, by offering a more flexible and accessible dosing schedule. For example, patients currently require multiple and frequent injections to maintain their treatment. With Vabysmo, the dosing schedule is as followed:
- Wet age-related macular degeneration: 4 monthly treatments to start. Following these initial treatments, and their impacts, patients may receive additional treatments every 2, 3, or 4 months.
- Diabetic macular edema: 4 monthly treatments to start. Following these initial treatments and their impacts, patients may receive additional treatments every 1 to 4 months.
About Wet Macular Degeneration
Altogether, there are two forms of macular degeneration, a disease which causes vision loss: wet and dry. Typically, macular degeneration always begins as dry, though it may progress to wet. Only around 20% of cases become wet macular degeneration. Because of this, wet macular degeneration is considered the more rare form. In wet AMD, abnormal blood vessels grow into the macula and leak blood and fluid, causing vision loss. Additionally, fluid from the choroid may also leak and accumulate in the macula. Risk factors include age (55+), smoking cigarettes, being Caucasian, being obese, having cardiovascular disease, or having a family history of wAMD. Symptoms typically progress quickly and have a sudden onset. When these symptoms appear, these include:
- Blurred vision and visual distortions
- Difficulty adjusting to low light, or requiring brighter light for activities (like reading)
- Reduced central vision
- Difficulty with facial recognition
- Less bright, intense colors
Learn more about wet macular degeneration.
