Dynamics of Treatment Response to Faricimab for Diabetic Macular Edema

Katrin Fasler; Daniel R Muth; Mariano Cozzi; Anders Kvanta; Magdalena Rejdak; Frank Blaser; Sandrine A Zweifel

doi:10.3390/bioengineering11100964

Dynamics of Treatment Response to Faricimab for Diabetic Macular Edema

Bioengineering (Basel). 2024 Sep 26;11(10):964. doi: 10.3390/bioengineering11100964.

Authors

Katrin Fasler¹, Daniel R Muth^{1

2

3}, Mariano Cozzi^{1

4}, Anders Kvanta^{2

3}, Magdalena Rejdak¹, Frank Blaser¹, Sandrine A Zweifel¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland.
² Division of Eye and Vision, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.
³ St. Erik Eye Hospital, 171 64 Solna, Sweden.
⁴ Eye Clinic, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Luigi Sacco Hospital, University of Milan, 20157 Milan, Italy.

Abstract

This study analyzes the dynamics of short-term treatment response to the first intravitreal faricimab injection in eyes with diabetic macular edema (DME). This retrospective, single-center, clinical trial was conducted at the Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Zurich. Patients with treatment-naïve and pretreated DME were included. Patient chart data and imaging were analyzed. Safety and efficacy (corrected visual acuity (CVA), central subfield thickness (CST), and signs of intraocular inflammation (IOI)) of the first faricimab intravitreal therapy (IVT) were evaluated weekly until 4 weeks after injection. Forty-three eyes (81% pretreated) of 31 patients were included. Four weeks after the first faricimab IVT, CVA remained stable and median CST (µm) decreased significantly (p < 0.001) from 325.0 (293.5-399.0) at baseline to 304.0 (286.5-358.0). CVA at week 4 was only associated with baseline CVA (p < 0.001). CST was the only predictive variable (p = 0.002) between baseline and week 4 CST. Weekly safety assessments did not show any sign of clinically significant IOI. This study suggests faricimab is an effective treatment for (pretreated) DME, showing structural benefit 1 month following the first injection without short-term safety signals.

Keywords: DME; IOI; IVI; IVT; ang-2; anti-VEGF; diabetic macular edema; faricimab; intraocular inflammation; intravitreal therapy.

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding. Financial Disclosure (in alphabetic order): D.R.M.: Annexon Biosciences (Consultant), Custom Surgical (Consultant), Roche (Consultant); K.F.: Protected research time—Filling the gap career development program University of Zurich; A.K.: Alder Therapeutics (Consultant), Apellis (Consultant), Novartis (Consultant), Roche (Consultant); M.C.: Bayer (Recipient), Nidek (Recipient), Zeiss (Recipient), Heidelberg Engineering (Recipient); M.R.: None; F.B.: Théa (Consultant); S.A.Z.: Alcon (Consultant), Allergan (Consultant), Bayer (Consultant), Endogena (Consultant), Novartis (Consultant), Roche (Consultant), Zeiss (Consultant).