FDA APPROVES UPDATED VABYSMO LABEL TO EXTEND TREATMENT FOR MACULAR EDEMA FOLLOWING RETINAL VEIN OCCLUSION (RVO) BEYOND SIX MONTHS

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY), has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of Vabysmo® (faricimab-svoa) for the treatment of macular edema due to retinal vein occlusion (RVO) beyond six months. RVO affects over a million Americans and often involves long-term intravitreal therapy to address the chronic nature of the disease.

"This label update reinforces our commitment to delivering consistent, long-term solutions for patients with vision impairment," said Levi Garraway, M.D., Ph.D., chief medical officer and head of Global Product Development. "With Vabysmo’s well-established efficacy, this label update should help minimize disruptive treatment switches in patients with RVO who are benefitting from Vabysmo."

"The updated dosing for Vabysmo empowers retina specialists with the flexibility to tailor treatment plans to each patient's unique journey with RVO," said Veeral Sheth, M.D., Partner and Director of Clinical Research at University Retina and Macula Associates. "By aligning Vabysmo’s label with real-world clinical practice, we can now offer seamless, continuous care that helps support longer-term outcomes for patients living with RVO."

About Vabysmo® (faricimab-svoa)

Vabysmo is the first bispecific antibody approved for the eye. It targets and inhibits two signaling pathways linked to a number of vision-threatening retinal conditions by neutralizing angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A). While research is underway to better understand the role of the Ang-2 pathway in retinal disease, Ang-2 and VEGF-A are thought to contribute to vision loss by destabilizing blood vessels, which may cause new leaky blood vessels to form and increase inflammation. By blocking pathways involving Ang-2 and VEGF-A, Vabysmo is designed to stabilize blood vessels.

Vabysmo U.S. Indications

Vabysmo (faricimab-svoa) is a prescription medicine given by injection into the eye, used to treat adults with neovascular (wet) age‑related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic macular edema (DME) and macular edema following retinal vein occlusion (RVO).

Important Safety Information

Contraindications

Vabysmo is contraindicated in patients who have an infection in or around their eye, have active swelling around their eye that may include pain and redness, or are allergic to Vabysmo or any of the ingredients in Vabysmo.

Warnings and Precautions

  • Injections like the one for Vabysmo can cause an eye infection (endophthalmitis) or separation of layers of the retina (retinal detachment). Patients should seek medical care if they experience increasing eye pain, vision loss, sensitivity to light, or redness in the white of the eye.
  • Vabysmo may cause a temporary increase in pressure in the eye (intraocular pressure), which occurs 60 minutes after the injection.
  • Although not common, Vabysmo patients have had serious, sometimes fatal, problems related to blood clots, such as heart attacks or strokes (thromboembolic events). In clinical studies for wet AMD during the first year, 7 out of 664 patients treated with Vabysmo reported such an event. In DME studies from baseline to week 100, 64 out of 1,262 patients treated with Vabysmo reported such an event. In clinical studies for RVO during 6 months, 7 out of 641 patients treated with Vabysmo reported such an event.
  • Retinal vasculitis and/or retinal vascular occlusion, typically in the presence of intraocular inflammation, have been reported with the use of Vabysmo. Healthcare providers should discontinue treatment with Vabysmo in patients who develop these events. Patients should be instructed to report any change in vision without delay.

Adverse Reactions

The most common adverse reactions (≥5%) reported in patients receiving Vabysmo were cataract (15%) and blood on the white of the eye (conjunctival hemorrhage, 8%). These are not all the possible side effects of Vabysmo.

Pregnancy, Lactation, Females and Males of Reproductive Potential

  • Based on how Vabysmo interacts with your body, there may be a potential risk to an unborn baby. Patients should use birth control before their first injection, during their treatment with Vabysmo, and for 3 months after their last dose of Vabysmo.
  • It is not known if Vabysmo passes into breast milk. Patients should talk to their healthcare provider about the best way to feed their baby if they receive Vabysmo.

Patients may report side effects to the FDA at (800) FDA-1088 or http://www.fda.gov/medwatch. Patients may also report side effects to Genentech at (888) 835-2555.

Please see additional Important Safety Information in the full Vabysmo Prescribing Information or visit https://www.Vabysmo.com.

About Genentech in Ophthalmology

Genentech is researching and developing new treatments for people living with a range of eye diseases that cause significant visual impairment and blindness, including wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic macular edema (DME), diabetic retinopathy (DR), geographic atrophy (GA) and other retinal diseases, including rare and inherited conditions.


About Genentech

Founded more than 40 years ago, Genentech is a leading biotechnology company that discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes medicines to treat patients with serious and life-threatening medical conditions. The company, a member of the Roche Group, has headquarters in South San Francisco, California. For additional information about the company, please visit http://www.gene.com.