Faricimab: First Approval

Faricimab (faricimab-svoa; Vabysmo™) is a bispecific antibody that binds to and inhibits both vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A and angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2). Administered by intravitreal injection, faricimab is being developed by Roche/Genentech for use in the treatment of retinal vascular diseases. In January 2022 faricimab received its first approvals, in the USA, for use in the treatment of patients with neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) or diabetic macular edema (DME). Faricimab has also recently been approved in Japan, and is currently under regulatory review in the EU, for use in nAMD and DME. Phase III clinical development of faricimab for use in the treatment of nAMD, DME, and macular edema due to retinal vein occlusion is continuing in multiple other countries worldwide. This article summarizes the milestones in the development of faricimab leading to these first approvals for nAMD and DME in the USA.