For the first time, a drug for diabetic macular oedema has been tested and shown to be effective in a cohort of individuals from minority groups who are disproportionately affected by the disease, the developer Roche announced on 18 October. Vabysmo (faricimab) is a bispecific antibody that was first approved in 2022 to treat age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular oedema. Since that time it has also been authorised for retinal vein occlusion. The drug targets the proteins vascular endothelial growth factor A and angiopoietin-2 in order to moderate the growth of blood vessels and control inflammation.
In a single-arm Phase 4 study, researchers tested the drug in people who identify as African American, Black, Hispanic and Latino who are often underrepresented in clinical trials. This followed two conventional Phase 3 trials. The results showed that the new group had an average vision gain of nearly three lines on an eye chart compared with about two and one-half lines from the original cohort after one year of treatment. Investigator Jeremiah Brown said Vabysmo has been shown to be an effective first-line therapy across patient groups.
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