Six-Month Real-World Data in Macular Edema Due to Retinal Vein Occlusion Treated with Faricimab: Swiss Retina Research Network Report.

INTRODUCTION

Faricimab has been shown to be effective for treatment of macular edema (ME) due to retinal vein occlusion (RVO). So far, there is only limited evidence in real-life settings and hard-to-treat cases.

METHODS

This multicenter, retrospective study evaluated patients with branch or central (including hemi-central) RVO treated with a faricimab treat-and-extend regimen with at least 6 months of follow-up (FU). Data included best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), center-point retinal thickness (CRT), central subfield thickness (CST), presence of intra- and subretinal fluid in the 1, 3, and 6 mm Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) grid zones, number of injections, and adverse events at baseline and at 1, 3-4, and 6 months of faricimab therapy. Pretreated eyes were additionally evaluated at predefined time points of the pretreatment period.

RESULTS

A total of 112 eyes from 111 patients, including 13 treatment-naive and 99 pretreated eyes, were included. BCVA improved in treatment-naïve eyes from 0.46 ± 0.28 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) at baseline to 0.32 ± 0.28 logMAR 6 months later (p = 0.041). BCVA remained stable in pretreated eyes (0.20 ± 0.25 vs. 0.21 ± 0.29 logMAR; p = 0.7). CRT and CST improved in both groups: in treatment-naïve eyes, CRT from 522 to 267 µm (p < 0.001) and CST from 467 to 301 µm (p = 0.032); in pretreated eyes, CRT from 275 to 253 µm (p = 0.009) and CST from 315 to 293 µm (p = 0.001). Significant resolution in retinal fluid was shown in the central 1 mm (p ≤ 0.014), 3 mm (p ≤ 0.013), and 6 mm zones (p ≤ 0.013) of the ETDRS grid in both groups. Over 6 months, treatment-naïve and pretreated eyes received a mean of 5 ± 1 injections. One systemic adverse event and no intraocular inflammation were recorded during FU.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates good real-world efficacy with significant drying and promising safety profile of faricimab in eyes with ME due to RVO, including a high proportion of hard-to-treat cases, over a 6-month period.