Bengaluru: Roche Pharma India has forayed into the Ophthalmology space by launching Vabysmo (faricimab) for the treatment of eye diseases.
Neovascular or wet age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME), are two leading causes of vision loss worldwide.
Vabysmo is the first and only dual-pathway-inhibitor that uniquely targets and inhibits two disease pathways linked to a number of vision threatening retinal conditions.
It neutralises both angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) which are key proteins involved in the development and progression of retinal conditions, contributing to vision loss by destabilising blood vessels in the eye.
As the world’s first bispecific antibody, Vabysmo is a single molecule designed to target and inhibit the effects of two targets, providing the benefits of two medicines in one.
Current treatment options target VEGF alone, and therefore only partially address the biology of the disease.
By blocking both pathways involving Ang-2 and VEGF-A, Vabysmo offers people the first new MoA (mechanism of action) in more than 15 years for nAMD and close to a decade for DME, stabilising blood vessels in the retina and improving vision outcomes.
Vabysmo has the potential to transform the existing Standard of Care (SoC) as the burden associated with currently available treatment options for nAMD and DME such as frequent eye injections and physician visits can lead to under treatment and less-than-optimal vision outcomes.
Vabysmo offers better treatment durability and flexible dosing, with patients requiring eye injections at intervals of up to once in four months, while achieving similar vision gains and anatomical improvements.
Commenting on the launch, V Simpson Emmanuel, CEO and Managing Director, Roche Pharma India, told reporters, "The launch of Vabysmo marks our entry into the ophthalmology space in India, underscoring our commitment to bring the best-in-class innovations to the country.
"With fewer eye injections over time, while also improving and maintaining vision and anatomy, Vabysmo offers a more convenient and effective treatment schedule for patients, their caregivers and healthcare systems."
"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, fastest and longest treatment option to patients," Dr Viraj Suvarna, Chief Medical Officer at Roche Pharma India, said.
Preventable and treatable vision loss is a growing global public health concern. A staggering 2.2 billion people live with vision impairment worldwide that could either be prevented or treated.
Retinal conditions are now affecting more people than ever before. More than 300 million patients globally and 11 million patients in India suffer from retinal vision loss.
India is home to one-third of the blind population of the world. Furthermore, in India, the prevalence of wAMD and severe DME stands at approximately 4 million.
Vabysmo (faricimab) was first approved by the USFDA in January 2022. It is today available in across 90+ countries and more than 2 million doses have been administered till date.
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Original news source: https://www.uniindia.com/roche-pharma-launches-vabysmo-to-treat-eye-diseases/business-economy/news/3155717.html