At a Retina Subspecialty Day session (Ret02) on Friday, researchers reported the following results with faricimab (Vabysmo, Genentech), a monoclonal antibody that blocks both VEGF-A and angiopoietin 2 (Ang-2) and is used to treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic macular edema.
Effect on pigment epithelial detachments (PEDs). In a post hoc analysis of pooled data from the Tenaya and Lucerne trials, faricimab was associated with greater reductions in PEDs than aflibercept during the head-to-head dosing period of the studies, said Jennifer I. Lim, MD.
Specifically, time to first absence of intraretinal and subretinal fluid was achieved at week 8 and with a median of two injections in those who received faricimab, compared to week 12 and with a median of three injections in those who received aflibercept.
With regard to PED outcomes, among the patients who had a serous PED at baseline, a lower proportion of those who received faricimab continued to show the presence of a serous PED at week 12 (3.9% with faricimab versus 12.3% with aflibercept). Although reduction of fibrovascular PED thickness was comparable between treatment arms in the head-to-head dosing phase, reduction of serous PED thickness was numerically greater in those who received faricimab.
Faricimab’s safety profile was comparable to that of aflibercept, Dr. Lim said.
Real-world outcomes and treatment patterns. In a Faretina-AMD study, researchers evaluated data from the IRIS Registry to assess the efficacy and safety of faricimab in eyes with neovascular AMD.
Data were collected from February 2022 to June 2023, said Sophie J. Bakri, MD, with 27,776 eyes meeting the inclusion criteria. Most eyes (93%) had been previously treated; the remainder (7%) were treatment-naive. Two-thirds of previously treated eyes were switched from aflibercept.
With regard to VA, approximately 50% of eyes had 20/40 or better vision at the time that faricimab was initiated. Vision held steady in those who were switched from another drug, while those who were treatment-naive experienced vision gains of 3 letters, Dr. Bakri said.
Fluid declined in all faricimab-treated eyes. Information on central subfield thickness (CST) was available for a subgroup of eyes, and CST measurements decreased over three to six months in both the previously treated and treatment-naïve eyes. Moreover, the interval was extended for more than 50% of eyes after one to two injections.
The researchers also evaluated the risk of endophthalmitis; this proved to be low in both previously treated and treatment-naive eyes, consistent with previously reported safety profiles. —Jean Shaw
Financial disclosures: Dr. Bakri: Abbvie: C; Adverum: C; Alcon: C; Alimera: C; Allergan: C; Apellis: C; EyePoint: C; Genentech: C; Illumen: C; Iveric Bio: C; Kala: C; Neurotech: C; Novartis: C; Outlook Therapeutics: C; Pixium Vision: C; Regeneron: C; Regenxbio: C,S; Revana: SO; Roche: C; VoxelCloud: SO; Zeiss: C.
Dr. Lim: Abbvie: C; Adverum: S; Alderya Therapeutics: S; Allergan: C; Aura Biosciences: C; Bausch + Lomb: C; Chengdu Kanhong: S; Cognition Therapeutics: C; Eyenuk: C; EyePoint: C; Genentech: C,S; Greybug: S; Hoffman La Roche: C; Iveric Bio: C; JAMA Network: C; Janssen: S; Luxa: C; NGM: S; Novartis: C; Ophthea: C; Quark: C; Regeneron: C,S; Regenxbio: C,S; Santen: C; Spring Vision: S; Stealth Biotherapeutics: S; Taylor & Francis: P; Unity: C; Viridian: C.
Disclosure key: C = Consultant/Advisor; E = Employee; EE = Employee, executive role; EO = Owner of company; I = Independent contractor; L = Lecture fees/Speakers bureau; P = Patents/Royalty; PS = Equity/Stock holder, private corporation; S = Grant support; SO = Stock options, public or private corporation; US = Equity/Stock holder, public corporation. For definitions of each category, see aao.org/eyenet/disclosures.
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