Roche gains EC approval for Vabysmo as RVO treatment

The European Commission (EC) has approved Vabysmo (faricimab) for the treatment of visual impairment due to macular edema secondary to retinal vein occlusion (RVO, branch RVO or central RVO), Swiss pharma giant Roche (ROG: SIX) revealed today.

RVO is the third indication for Vabysmo in the European Union, in addition to neovascular or ‘wet’ age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME). Together, the three retinal conditions affect close to 80 million people worldwide and are among the leading causes of vision loss.

“Vabysmo is a new treatment option for people with retinal vein occlusion in Europe that can help preserve and improve vision, with the added benefit of retinal drying,” said Dr Levi Garraway, Roche’s chief medical officer and head of global product development. “The efficacy and safety of Vabysmo has been well established in global clinical trials and is reinforced by a growing breadth of real-world evidence, with hundreds of thousands of people treated worldwide,” he added.