Genentech’s Vabysmo Showed Extended Durability, Continued Efficacy and a Consistent Safety Profile in Long-Term Diabetic Macular Edema (DME) Study

Rhea-AI Summary

Genentech, a Roche Group member, announced four-year data from the RHONE-X extension study for Vabysmo (faricimab-svoa) in treating diabetic macular edema (DME). The study met all primary endpoints, demonstrating Vabysmo's consistent safety profile. Key findings include:

- Over 90% of patients showed absence of DME after four years
- Nearly 80% of patients received treatment at 3-4 month intervals
- Sustained vision gains and anatomical improvements were observed
- Vabysmo maintained efficacy in preserving vision and drying retinal fluid

This represents the largest long-term extension dataset in DME, reinforcing Vabysmo's potential as a standard treatment for the 29 million people affected worldwide. Vabysmo is currently approved in nearly 100 countries for DME and wet AMD.

Positive

• Over 90% of patients achieved absence of DME after four years of treatment
• Nearly 80% of patients were able to extend treatment intervals to every 3-4 months
• Sustained vision gains and anatomical improvements maintained from initial Phase III studies
• Vabysmo met all primary endpoints, showing consistent safety profile
• Largest long-term extension dataset in DME to date
• Vabysmo approved in nearly 100 countries for multiple eye conditions
• Over 4 million doses of Vabysmo distributed worldwide since 2022 US approval

Negative

• None.

– More than 90% of patients had absence of DME after four years in a pre-specified exploratory endpoint –

– People treated with Vabysmo sustained vision gains and anatomical improvements, with almost 80% receiving treatment at intervals of three or four months, in an exploratory analysis –

– The study met all primary endpoints showing safety data were consistent with Vabysmo's known safety profile –

– This is the largest long-term extension dataset in DME to-date, demonstrating consistent positive results in a highly prevalent eye condition –

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Genentech, a member of the Roche Group (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) announced today new, four-year data from the RHONE-X extension study. The study met all primary endpoints, showing that Vabysmo^® (faricimab-svoa) was well tolerated in people with diabetic macular edema (DME) who received treatment for up to four years. Exploratory results from the long-term study showed that Vabysmo continued to preserve vision, dry retinal fluid that can impair sight and allow extended time between treatments in people with DME. These data were presented in a late-breaking oral presentation at the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS) 2024 Annual Meeting in Stockholm, Sweden.

“These four-year data build on our pivotal studies and reinforce Vabysmo’s potential to become standard of care treatment for diabetic macular edema (DME), which affects 29 million people worldwide,” said Levi Garraway, M.D., Ph.D., Genentech’s chief medical officer and head of Global Product Development. “We are especially pleased to see that 9 out of 10 patients showed no sign of DME after four years of treatment with Vabysmo, which is an incredible long-term outcome for people living with this condition.”

The RHONE-X study is the largest long-term extension dataset in DME, a leading cause of vision loss in people with diabetes.

“I have been using Vabysmo as a first-line treatment for all the approved indications, including diabetic macular edema, and the positive long-term safety and efficacy results from the RHONE-X study are consistent with my clinical experience for over two years,” said study investigator Arshad M. Khanani, M.D., director of clinical research at Sierra Eye Associates and clinical professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, who presented the data at ASRS.

During RHONE-X, all participants were treated with Vabysmo on a personalized treat-and-extend regimen, where the time between Vabysmo treatments could be increased based on retinal fluid levels and visual acuity. Results of the exploratory analysis showed that at the end of four years nearly 80% of participants treated with Vabysmo had extended their treatment intervals to every three or four months. Additionally, people treated with Vabysmo maintained the vision improvements and sustained the drying of retinal fluid they achieved during the initial Phase III studies (YOSEMITE and RHINE). In a pre-specified exploratory endpoint, more than 90% of people treated with Vabysmo achieved absence of DME, defined as central subfield thickness (CST) less than 325 microns. CST is a measure of swelling from fluid in the back of the eye caused by unstable, leaky blood vessels; reducing CST indicates retinal drying.

To date, Vabysmo is approved in nearly 100 countries for DME and wet, or neovascular, age-related macular degeneration (AMD). It is also approved in several countries, including the United States (U.S.) and Japan, for the treatment of macular edema following retinal vein occlusion. More than four million doses of Vabysmo have been distributed worldwide since its initial U.S. approval in 2022.

Genentech is committed to helping people access the medicines they are prescribed and offers comprehensive services for people prescribed Vabysmo to help minimize barriers to access and reimbursement. Patients can call 833-EYE-GENE for more information. For people who qualify, Genentech offers patient assistance programs through Genentech Access Solutions. More information is also available at (866) 4ACCESS/(866) 422-2377 or http://www.Genentech-Access.com.

Visit https://www.Vabysmo.com for additional information.

About RHONE-X

RHONE-X is a multicenter two-year extension study designed to evaluate the long-term safety and tolerability of Vabysmo^® (faricimab-svoa) in 1,474 patients with diabetic macular edema who completed one of the two Phase III studies, YOSEMITE (NCT03622580) or RHINE (NCT03622593). Patients in YOSEMITE and RHINE were treated with either Vabysmo or 2 mg aflibercept. Patients in RHONE-X were all treated with Vabysmo according to a personalized treatment interval.

The primary objectives were to evaluate the long-term safety and tolerability of Vabysmo, including ocular adverse events (AEs), non-ocular AEs and presence of anti-drug antibodies. The study also had an exploratory objective to assess the long-term efficacy of Vabysmo.

About Diabetic Macular Edema

Affecting approximately 750,000 people in the United States, diabetic macular edema (DME) is a vision-threatening retinal condition associated with blindness and decreased quality of life when left untreated. DME occurs when damaged blood vessels in the retina leak into and cause swelling in the macula – the central area of the retina responsible for the sharp vision needed for reading and driving. The number of people with DME is expected to grow as the prevalence of diabetes increases.

About the Vabysmo^® (faricimab-svoa) Clinical Development Program

Genentech has a robust Phase III clinical development program for Vabysmo. The program includes AVONELLE-X, an extension study of TENAYA and LUCERNE, evaluating the long-term safety and tolerability of Vabysmo in wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Genentech has also initiated several Phase IV studies, including the ELEVATUM study of Vabysmo in underrepresented patient populations with DME and the SALWEEN study of Vabysmo in a subpopulation of wet AMD highly prevalent in Asia. Genentech has also initiated the VOYAGER study, a global real-world data collection platform, and supports several other independent studies to further understand retinal conditions with a high unmet need.

About Vabysmo^® (faricimab-svoa)

Vabysmo is the first bispecific antibody approved for the eye. It targets and inhibits two signaling pathways linked to a number of vision-threatening retinal conditions by neutralizing angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A). While research is underway to better understand the role of the Ang-2 pathway in retinal disease, Ang-2 and VEGF-A are thought to contribute to vision loss by destabilizing blood vessels, which may cause new leaky blood vessels to form and increase inflammation. By blocking pathways involving Ang-2 and VEGF-A, Vabysmo is designed to stabilize blood vessels.

Vabysmo U.S. Indications

Vabysmo (faricimab-svoa) is a prescription medicine given by injection into the eye, used to treat adults with neovascular (wet) age‑related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic macular edema (DME) and macular edema following retinal vein occlusion (RVO).

Important Safety Information

Contraindications

Vabysmo is contraindicated in patients who have an infection in or around their eye, have active swelling around their eye that may include pain and redness, or are allergic to Vabysmo or any of the ingredients in Vabysmo.

Warnings and Precautions

• Injections like the one for Vabysmo can cause an eye infection (endophthalmitis) or separation of layers of the retina (retinal detachment). Patients should seek medical care if they experience increasing eye pain, vision loss, sensitivity to light, or redness in the white of the eye.
• Vabysmo may cause a temporary increase in pressure in the eye (intraocular pressure), which occurs 60 minutes after the injection.
• Although not common, Vabysmo patients have had serious, sometimes fatal, problems related to blood clots, such as heart attacks or strokes (thromboembolic events). In clinical studies for wet AMD during the first year, 7 out of 664 patients treated with Vabysmo reported such an event. In DME studies from baseline to week 100, 64 out of 1,262 patients treated with Vabysmo reported such an event. In clinical studies for RVO during 6 months, 7 out of 641 patients treated with Vabysmo reported such an event.
• Retinal vasculitis and/or retinal vascular occlusion, typically in the presence of intraocular inflammation, have been reported with the use of Vabysmo. Healthcare providers should discontinue treatment with Vabysmo in patients who develop these events. Patients should be instructed to report any change in vision without delay.

Adverse Reactions

The most common adverse reactions (≥5%) reported in patients receiving Vabysmo were cataract (15%) and blood on the white of the eye (conjunctival hemorrhage, 8%). These are not all the possible side effects of Vabysmo.

Pregnancy, Lactation, Females and Males of Reproductive Potential

• Based on how Vabysmo interacts with your body, there may be a potential risk to an unborn baby. Patients should use birth control before their first injection, during their treatment with Vabysmo, and for 3 months after their last dose of Vabysmo.
• It is not known if Vabysmo passes into breast milk. Patients should talk to their healthcare provider about the best way to feed their baby if they receive Vabysmo.

Patients may report side effects to the FDA at (800) FDA-1088 or http://www.fda.gov/medwatch. Patients may also report side effects to Genentech at (888) 835-2555.

Please see additional Important Safety Information in the full Vabysmo Prescribing Information or visit https://www.Vabysmo.com.

About Genentech in Ophthalmology

Genentech is researching and developing new treatments for people living with a range of eye diseases that cause significant visual impairment and blindness, including wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic macular edema (DME), diabetic retinopathy (DR), geographic atrophy (GA) and other retinal diseases, including rare and inherited conditions.

About Genentech

Founded more than 40 years ago, Genentech is a leading biotechnology company that discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes medicines to treat patients with serious and life-threatening medical conditions. The company, a member of the Roche Group, has headquarters in South San Francisco, California. For additional information about the company, please visit http://www.gene.com.

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Media Contact:

Shirley Dang, (650) 467-6800

Advocacy Contact:

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Source: Genentech

FAQ

What were the key findings of Genentech's four-year RHONE-X study for Vabysmo (RHHBY) in treating diabetic macular edema?

The study showed that over 90% of patients had absence of DME after four years, nearly 80% received treatment at 3-4 month intervals, and patients maintained vision gains and anatomical improvements. The study also confirmed Vabysmo's consistent safety profile.

How many countries have approved Vabysmo (RHHBY) for treating eye conditions as of 2024?

As of 2024, Vabysmo has been approved in nearly 100 countries for treating diabetic macular edema (DME) and wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). It's also approved in several countries, including the US and Japan, for macular edema following retinal vein occlusion.

What is the significance of the RHONE-X study for Vabysmo (RHHBY) in the context of diabetic macular edema research?

The RHONE-X study represents the largest long-term extension dataset in diabetic macular edema (DME) to date. It provides important four-year data demonstrating Vabysmo's consistent positive results in treating this highly prevalent eye condition, reinforcing its potential as a standard treatment for DME.

How many doses of Vabysmo (RHHBY) have been distributed globally since its US approval in 2022?

More than four million doses of Vabysmo have been distributed worldwide since its initial US approval in 2022, indicating significant adoption of the treatment for various eye conditions.