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Roche Pharma launches Vabysmo to treat vision loss in India

According to Roche India, Vabysmo is the first and only dual-pathway-inhibitor that uniquely targets and inhibits two disease pathways linked to a number of vision threatening retinal conditions.

• By Pooja Chaturvedi Sah
• Hyderabad
• Mar 06, 2024

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Pharmaceutical giant Roche Pharma India, a subsidiary of Switzerland-headquartered healthcare company Roche, on Tuesday announced its foray into the ophthalmology sector in India with the official launch of Vabysmo (faricimab), an antibody injection for the treatment of two causes of vision loss among the elderly and diabetic patients.

The drug addresses neovascular or “wet” age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME)--which are leading causes of global vision loss, the company said in a statement. 

According to Roche India, Vabysmo is the first and only dual-pathway-inhibitor that uniquely targets and inhibits two disease pathways linked to a number of vision threatening retinal conditions.

Vabysmo works by neutralising two key proteins¬--angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A), which are known for the onset and progression of retinal conditions. “Vabysmo may help block both pathways involving Ang-2 and VEGF-A, and stabilize blood vessels”, the company said in a statement. 

“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 destabilizing blood vessels in the eye. As the world’s first bispecific monoclonal antibody, Vabysmo is a single molecule designed to target and inhibit the effects of two targets, providing the benefits of two medicines in one”, said Dr. Viraj Suvarna, Chief Medical Officer at Roche Pharma India. 

According to the company, Vabysmo also offers better treatment durability with patients requiring eye injections at intervals of up to once in four months. 

“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. Vabysmo offers the ‘Latest’ (world’s first dual pathway inhibition), ‘Fastest’ (fastest drying & effective disease control) and ‘Longest’ (extended durability up to 4 months) treatment option to patients,” adds Dr. Suvarna. 

More than 75 million patients globally and seven million patients in India suffer from retinal vision loss, wherein India is home to one-third of the blind population of the world, According to Roche. Furthermore, in India, Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and Diabetic Macular Edema (DME) cases stands at around 3.30 lakh.

Vabysmo (faricimab) was first approved by the USFDA in January 2022. It is available in over 90 countries, with more than 2 million doses administered till date. 

The company has not disclosed pricing details in India. In the US, it is listed at $2,190, subject to insurance coverage variations.