Real-world data supports extended dosing benefits of faricimab in nAMD management

Faricimab is both effective and safe for treating treatment-naive neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) in a real-world setting, according to a study that found that extending dosing intervals may offer better visual improvements compared to shorter intervals.

This single-center, retrospective review included 66 eyes from 62 patients. After receiving the first dose of faricimab, patients showed an average improvement of 0.05 LogMAR (+2.5 letters) in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and a reduction in central macular thickness (CMT) by 65.9 μm. In addition, 41% of the eyes were inactive following the initial treatment.

Patients were divided into 2 follow-up groups—one with 4-week extensions and another with 8-week extensions after the third loading dose. The 8-week group demonstrated greater improvement in BCVA (+6 letters) compared to the 4-week group (+3 letters). Both groups, however, experienced similar reductions in CMT, with an average decrease of 86.6 μm.

Total retinal fluid decreased by 45%, with reductions in intraretinal fluid and subretinal fluid to 12.2% and 24.4%, respectively, in the 8-week extension group. Over 10 months, patients received an average of 6.6 injections, including three initial loading doses. Only one adverse event was reported among the 66 eyes (1.5%).

Reference
Modeste D, Stewart C, Premanandhan H, et al. Evaluating Faricimab in Treatment-Naive Neovascular Age Related Macular Degeneration: A Retrospective Analysis of Real-World Data. Clin Ophthalmol. 2024 Oct 7;18:2821-2829. doi: 10.2147/OPTH.S468458. PMID: 39398467; PMCID: PMC11470206.