An announcement from the drug company Genentech highlights the results of a recent study which demonstrated that the drug faricimab-svoa (marketed at Vabysmo) was able to dry retinal fluid more rapidly and to a greater extent than the drug aflibercept in people living with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Similar results were found in people living with diabetic macular edema. This was an analysis of results from two phase III trials.
About Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)
Wet age-related macular degeneration is a condition affecting vision which can result in loss of eyesight or blurred eyesight in the middle of the visual field. One or both eyes may be affected. Wet age-related macular degeneration is the least common form of macular degeneration, making up around ten percent of cases. In the wet form, blood vessels being to grow beneath the macula, resulting in fluids and blood leakage into the retina. Risk factors include European ancestry, a high fat diet, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, advanced age, and a family history of the disease. Symptoms often don’t occur in early stages but later can include vision distortion, sudden decline in visual acuity, visual hallucinations, difficulty discerning colors, and blurry vision. The primary treatment for wet age-related macular degeneration are VEGF inhibitors. Other potential approaches include photodynamic therapy and laser coagulation therapy. To learn more about wet age-related macular degeneration, click here.
About Diabetic Macular Edema (DME)
Diabetic retinopathy, sometimes called diabetic eye disease, is a condition in which the retina sustains damage as a result of diabetes. Nearly 80 percent of patients who live with either type of diabetes are affected after 20 years. Diabetic macular edema is a complication of diabetic retinopathy and results in swelling of part of the retina. Prompt treatment can greatly reduce the risk of progression, but the condition remains a major cause of vision loss in developed countries. In the US, it accounts for 12 percent of all new blindness cases and is the leading cause for people aged 20-64. The condition may not inflict any symptoms at first, but most people eventually have blurry vision, vision loss, distorted or darkened images, and eventually blindness. While there is no cure for the disease, it can be treated very effectively; methods include injected corticosteroids/anti-VEGF agents, vitrectomy, and laser surgery. These treatments, when done early in the disease course, can prevent vision loss. To learn more about diabetic macular edema, click here.
In Wet AMD
In the patients treated with Vabysmo, 77% had no retinal fluid at 12 weeks, while 67% of patients receiving aflibercept could say the same. Absence of fluid first occurred at eight weeks with Vabysmo versus 12 weeks with aflibercept. Patients on Vabysmo therefore needed fewer doses of the treatment (in the form of an injection) than those using aflibercept.
In DME
DME was resolved in 75% of patients in each treatment cohort. This occurred at 20 weeks with Vabysmo versus 36 weeks in patients receiving aflibercept. Absence of retinal fluid occurred in half of patients in each treatment cohort. With Vabysmo, this effect occurred at 48 weeks versus 84 weeks in patients receiving aflibercept.
For blood vessel leakage, 15.2% of patients saw this problem resolve at 16 weeks when using aflibercept; meanwhile 28. 4% of patients using Vabysmo saw the same effect. Additionally, leakage in patients getting treated with Vabysmo was 50% smaller.
Overall, these findings suggest that Vabysmo is a more effective therapy than aflibercept in these diseases.
