HYDERABAD: In what can be considered a revolutionary step for the treatment of eye diseases - neovascular or “wet” Age-related Macular Degeneration (nAMD) and Diabetic Macular Edema (DME) in the country, city-based pharma company Roche Pharma launched Vabysmo, an injectable medicine for the treatment of vision loss, here on Tuesday.
The drug, Vabysmo (faricimab), which was first approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in January 2022 and is available across more than 90 countries globally, made its way to India with the launch by the pharma company.
Vabysmo® is the only bispecific antibody for the eye to treat two leading causes of vision loss, nAMD and DME, which targets and inhibits the pathways of these two diseases.
The medicine neutralises both angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) which are key proteins for development and progression of retinal conditions, contributing to vision loss by destabilising blood vessels in the eye.
Dr Viraj Suvarna, Chief Medical Officer at Roche Pharma India said, “ nAMD and DME can limit a person’s ability to read, drive and recognise faces. Even simple everyday activities may become challenging as the disease progresses. Vabysmo offers the latest (world’s first dual pathway inhibition), fastest (fastest drying & effective disease control) and longest (extended durability up to four months) treatment option to patients.”
Dr Raja Rami Reddy, founder of Neoretina Eye Care Centre and Institute stated that Vabysmo was poised to become the new standard of care by redefining patient experiences and improving patient journey.