Roche Pharma India, an arm of the Swiss biotech major Roche, has announced its foray into ophthalmology space as it launched Vabysmo (faricimab), a bispecific antibody for the eye, to treat two leading causes of vision loss. It helps in the treatment of neovascular or ‘wet’ age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME). Neovascular AMD and DME are two leading causes of vision loss worldwide.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a condition that affects the part of the eye that provides sharp, central vision needed for activities like reading. Neovascular or “wet” AMD (nAMD) is an advanced form of the disease that can cause rapid and severe vision loss if left untreated. It develops when new and abnormal blood vessels grow uncontrolled under the macula, causing swelling, bleeding and/or fibrosis.
The dual-pathway-inhibitor in the new product targets and inhibits the two disease pathways linked to a number of vision-threatening retinal conditions. “It neutralises both angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) which are key proteins involved in the development and progression of retinal conditions, contributing to vision loss by destabilising blood vessels in the eye,” Viraj Suvarna, Chief Medical Officer at Roche Pharma India, said. “nAMD and DME can limit a person’s ability to read, drive and recognise faces. Even simple everyday activities may become challenging as the disease progresses,” he said.
“We believe more should be done to meet the needs of people living with retinal conditions and to preserve sight. While there is strong awareness and action for cataract and other frontal eye-disorders, retinal conditions are often diagnosed late or neglected, leading to vision loss,” V Simpson Emmanuel, CEO and Managing Director, Roche Pharma India, said. “The launch of Vabysmo marks our entry into the ophthalmology space in India. With fewer eye injections over time, Vabysmo offers a more convenient and effective treatment schedule for patients, their caregivers and healthcare systems,” he said.
Huge challenge
A company official said that ‘preventable and treatable’ vision loss is a growing global public health concern. “A staggering 2.2 billion people live with vision impairment worldwide that could either be prevented or treated. Retinal conditions are now affecting more people than ever before. More than 75 million patients globally and about 7 million patients in India suffer from retinal vision loss,” he said.