A new drug to treat Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and Diabetic Macular Edema (DME) has recently demonstrated promising phase III results. The new drug, Faricimab, is a bispecific antibody designed for the eye and is the first of its kind. Current AMD treatment targets the VEGF pathway (Figure 1) and demonstrates a significant reduction in vision loss for neovascular AMD and DME patients. However, frequent injections are needed to accomplish this.
Faricimab works by targeting two pathways-- angiopoietin-2 (ANG-2) and VEGF-A, which drive many retinal conditions. It stabilizes blood vessels within the retina, which in turn, decreases inflammation and leakage. By targeting both pathways, the stabilization of the blood vessels is proposed to last longer than if only one pathway was targeted. The four phase III trials indicate that patients were able to extend treatment times from 4 months out of the last injection. To learn more about the study results, click here.
Figure 1. shows how current anti-VEGF
treatment blocks receptors from binding,
therefore, stabilizing the blood vessels.