TRUCKEE study assesses real-world efficacy and safety of faricimab in neovascular AMD
Michael Javaheri, MD, of Retina Specialists of Beverly Hills, highlighted the implications of the “Real-World Efficacy and Safety of Faricimab in nAMD: Two-Year Results of the TRUCKEE Study” presented at the 2024 AAO Annual Meeting.
Question:
Can you discuss the design of the study and its findings?
Michael Javaheri, MD:
It was a pleasure to be involved in this study and to look at the real-world effect of faricimab in patients who had been both previously treated and not treated with anti-VEGF agents. What we did is we collaborated and put in the data for all our patients about how we were using them across the United States to see if the clinical trial results translated into real-world data for these patients. We’re always looking for medication and treatments that can further extend our patients’ treatment intervals because the burden of treatment continues to grow in a lot of our patients. From what we saw with faricimab is that, on average, it was able to extend the treatment intervals when compared to the older-generation drugs that we previously used. The benefits to our patients of using this drug over the older-generation drugs is an increased drying effect that we saw in all patients that were treated with this in addition to an increased interval when compared to the previously used drug. What this means is better vision or the same vision, but with less visits and getting to that place quicker.
Question:
What is the importance of assessing real-world evidence?
Michael Javaheri, MD:
I think the best way to say this is that clinical trials tell us if the drug works at all. When we use real-world data, it tells us how it’s benefiting patients in real life, because each clinician uses it slightly differently. When we pool all this data, we’re able to see as a whole what kind of impact the drug is having to every kind of practice with every kind of physician administering it, whatever their treatment paradigms are. It gives us a broader sense of what it’s doing on a daily basis.
Question:
How do you think this research might impact decision-making?
Michael Javaheri, MD:
I think the TRUCKEE study continues to show that when comparing faricimab to older-generation drugs by using it either first-line or as salvage therapy for a patient that you’re unable to extend or to dry out completely, the odds show that we’re able to (A) dry them out quickly and (B) extend them to a longer interval, meaning that we get to see them less and they still get to do very well.
Question:
What are some persistent unmet needs in neovascular age-related macular degeneration?
Michael Javaheri, MD:
I think the holy grail for neovascular AMD is treating as little as you can and getting patients to still have the outcomes as if we’re treating them every month. I think that the newer agents help us to get patients to longer intervals quicker, and I think again, that is the goal in what we’re doing is treat less, get the same results.
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