Faricimab in neovascular AMD: first report of real-world outcomes in an independent retina clinic

PurposeAssess short-term real-world outcomes in neovascular aged-related macular degeneration (nAMD) treated with novel faricimab.MethodsRetrospective case series of nine patients with nAMD (11 eyes) treated with faricimab between May and November 2022. Treatment-naive patients and non-naive patients underwent logMAR best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), optical coherence tomography (OCT) DRI OCT-1 Triton (Topcon Corp, Tokyo, Japan), ultra-widefield (UWF) and fundus autofluorescence (FAF) (California Optomap, Optos plc, Dunfermline, Scotland, UK). Previous treatment intervals, number of intravitreal injections, sub/intra retinal fluid (SRF/IRF), central retinal thickness (CRT) and presence/changes in pigment epithelial detachments (PEDs) were recorded.ResultsMean baseline BCVA and CRT values of patients who switched from other agents were 0.612 +/- 0.75 logMAR and 256.16 +/- 12.98 mu m respectively, with a mean 36-day previous treatment interval. The median number of other previous anti-VEGF intravitreal injections was 8. Mean BCVA at one month significantly improved to 0.387 +/- 0.54 logMAR, as well as CRT values which decreased to 245.43 +/- 15.34 mu m. In the 3 naive patients, mean baseline BVCA and CRT values were 0.33 +/- 0.29 and 874.67 +/- 510.86 mu m, respectively. At one month follow-up, mean BCVA improved to 0.30 +/- 0.29 logMAR and mean CRT was 536.04 +/- 36.15 mu m. Overall, a significant improvement in BCVA of 0.21 +/- 41 logMAR and 238.44 +/- 114.9 mu m was achieved at one month after the first faricimab intravitreal injection. In addition, a complete resolution of SRF was observed in 6 out of 8 eyes (75%) and of IRF in 2 out of 3 eyes (66.67%), respectively. Drusenoid PED morphology changes were observed in all patients and no drug-related adverse events were observed.ConclusionReal-world outcomes showed improvement in BCVA and anatomic parameters at an early timepoint, demonstrating the efficacy and durability of faricimab in nAMD patients. Larger numbers of patients and longer follow-up are needed to determine whether the loading dose is required in all, what percentage of patients experience an improvement, and whether improvement it is maintained.

Automated summary

This study assessed the short-term real-world outcomes of faricimab in treating neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). The results showed that faricimab treatment significantly improved visual acuity and anatomic parameters in nAMD patients, with no observed adverse events.