- Vabysmo (faricimab-svoa) targets and inhibits two disease pathways that drive neovascular or “wet” age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME)
- Vabysmo is the only injectable eye medicine approved simultaneously in the US for nAMD and DME, with flexible dosing regimens based on patient need
Roche today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Vabysmo™ (faricimab-svoa) for the treatment of neovascular or “wet” age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME). Neovascular AMD and DME are two leading causes of vision loss worldwide. Vabysmo 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). Vabysmo is the first and only FDA-approved injectable eye medicine for nAMD and DME that improves and maintains vision with treatments from one to four months apart in the first year following four initial monthly doses, based on evaluation of the patient’s anatomy and vision outcomes. Standard of care for nAMD and DME typically requires eye injections every one to two months.
“Vabysmo represents an important step forward for ophthalmology. It is the first bispecific antibody approved for the eye and a major advance in treating retinal conditions such as neovascular AMD and diabetic macular edema,” said Charles Wykoff, M.D., Ph.D., Director of Research at Retina Consultants of Texas in Houston and a Vabysmo phase III investigator. “With Vabysmo, we now have the opportunity to offer patients a medicine that could improve their vision, potentially lowering treatment burden with fewer injections over time.”
The approval is based on positive results across four phase III studies in nAMD and DME. The studies consistently showed that patients treated with Vabysmo given at intervals of up to four months achieved non-inferior vision gains versus aflibercept given every two months in the first year. Vabysmo was generally well tolerated in all four studies, with a favourable benefit-risk profile. The most common adverse reaction (≥5%) reported in patients receiving Vabysmo was conjunctival hemorrhage (7%). Two scientific papers and an editorial on these one-year results were recently published in The Lancet.
Vabysmo is designed to block pathways involving Ang-2 and VEGF-A. Ang-2 and VEGF-A are thought to contribute to vision loss by destabilising blood vessels, which may cause new leaky blood vessels to form and increase inflammation. While additional research continues, inhibition of both pathways has been shown in preclinical studies to have potentially complementary benefits, stabilising vessels, and thereby reducing vessel leakage and inflammation.
“Vabysmo provides a new approach to treating vision-threatening retinal conditions through a mechanism of action that targets two pathways simultaneously,” said Levi Garraway, M.D., Ph.D., Roche’s Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Product Development. “This is our second FDA approval in ophthalmology in recent months, underscoring our commitment to people living with retinal conditions.”
