Faricimab-svoa is an innovative treatment option to ease the treatment burden for wet AMD and retinal vascular disease, according to Pharmacy Times. It reportedly targets two disease pathways and may provide better vision outcomes with fewer injections compared with traditional therapies.

Avacincaptad pegol is a complement C5 inhibitor which may slow progression of geographic atrophy in wet AMD. The disorder arises from improper regulation of the complement cascade and can lead to photoreceptor death and scarring.

SYFOVRE

SYFOVRE is an innovative new therapy for geographic atrophy (GA), an advanced form of dry age-related macular degeneration. As the first treatment designed to slow its progression and enhance quality of life for those living with this disease, SYFOVRE may offer hope. As an ongoing injection, this treatment blocks C3 complement component activation by binding to C3b binding sites on downstream effectors that initiate complement cascade. Clinical trials conducted with SYFOVRE, known as OAKS and DERBY, demonstrated its efficacy at significantly decreasing GA lesion growth compared to sham injection. SYFOVRE should be administered via intravitreal injection every 25-60 days for maximum effectiveness. According to recent research findings, silicone oil droplets may appear after intravitreal injection of SYFOVRE; likely caused by the type of syringe used when injecting it.

SYFOVRE has also been shown to reduce the rate of GA lesion growth while simultaneously decreasing risk for wet AMD through inhibiting production of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Patients receiving Syfovre were found to experience a significantly reduced incidence of neovascular AMD than those receiving sham injections; it is therefore advised that all those taking this drug be closely monitored for signs of neovascular AMD while receiving additional anti-VEGF therapy separately from SYFOVRE treatment.

SYFOVRE can cause serious eye conditions, including vision loss. If you notice severe or worsening vision issues while taking this drug, contact your physician as soon as possible for advice.

As with any medication, intravitreally administered pegcetacoplan carries the potential risk of infection when taken sublingually. For safety, injections should always be given by trained eye care professionals and any time the needle becomes contaminated or improper injection techniques used, hands should always be cleaned beforehand and after injection. The American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS) is closely monitoring potential complications related to SYFOVRE use as well as asking clinicians to report adverse events directly. For more information visit their website here

ABBV-RGX-314

ABBV-RGX-314 is an innovative one-time gene therapy treatment for wet age-related macular degeneration (wAMD), an eye disease in which new, leaky blood vessels form within the retina and lead to vision loss. If successful, its development could represent an important advance in treating wet AMD as well as other chronic retinal conditions; currently anti-VEGF injections are used but require lifelong repeated injections for maximum effectiveness.

RGX-314 works by targeting retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) at the back of the eye to inhibit vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which leads to leaky blood vessel formation that accumulates fluid in retinal areas, leading to macular degeneration. As we age, RPE may become damaged and less responsive to anti-VEGF therapies; for this reason AAVIATE, which will evaluate RGX-314’s effects on best corrected visual acuity will take place across multiple sites including USC/Keck School of Medicine.

The AAVIATE study will compare two dose levels of RGX-314 with monthly intravitreal injections of Aflibercept, the current standard of care for wet AMD. A pilot study found RGX-314 to be well tolerated by 85 patients across cohorts 1-5. It reduced central subfield thickness while improving or maintaining best corrected visual acuity; additionally ABBV-RGX-314 significantly decreased annualized rate-related vision-threatening events when compared with controls.

REGENXBIO joined AbbVie in 2023 to collaborate on developing and commercializing RGX-314, and AbbVie will take lead responsibility in its development and commercialization. REGENXBIO will receive tiered royalties on net sales of RGX-314 across various countries; under this agreement REGENXBIO will also receive tiered royalties on net sales within those same markets; REGENXBIO hopes that this collaboration may explore additional applications, including treating other chronic retinal diseases or treating other chronic retinal diseases; AbbVie is also working on treating macular degeneration with Mission Therapeutics conducting research into select deubiquitinating enzyme target compounds as part of an effort to develop new treatments for chronic disorders like macular degeneration and glaucoma that are chronic in nature; Mission Therapeutics are helping with research for further treatment efforts toward finding possible treatments for chronic disorders like macular degeneration and glaucoma that are chronic as part of an effort toward developing treatments for chronic disorders like macular degeneration and glaucoma as part of developing treatments for chronic disorders like macular degeneration as part of this partnership agreement, in an effort towards developing treatments for chronic disorders like macular degeneration and glaucoma treatments to treat chronic disorders such as macular degeneration and glaucoma as part of an initiative towards this end as well.

Avacincaptad Pegol

Izervay (avacincaptad pegol) was recently approved by the FDA as an intravitreal injection to treat geographic atrophy associated with age-related macular degeneration. This RNA aptamer acts by binding to complement C5 and preventing its breakdown into subcomponents C5a and C5b, potentially slowing progression by preventing formation of abnormal blood vessels that lead to wet AMD (neovascular form of AMD). Current therapies for treating wet AMD focus on blocking vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), thought to cause abnormal new vessel formation.

Izervay was approved based on two phase 3 clinical trials that compared Avacincaptad pegol with placebo and showed significant decreases in GA progression, according to FDA recommendations of 2 mg administered monthly up to 12 months for treatment by IVERIC Bio, an Astellas company. Avacincaptad pegol was the first complement inhibitor approved to treat this condition by regulatory bodies;

David Lally, MD, investigator and ophthalmologist from New England Retina Consultants, recently discussed the development of complement inhibitors such as Avacincaptad pegol. Additionally, he reviewed GATHER1 and GATHER2 data which covered duration, patient demographics, outcomes of trials as well as implications of findings.

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Risuteganib

Risuteganib, a small synthetic peptide which inhibits CaMKII mitochondrial protein stabilization, could potentially be used to treat eye conditions such as dry age-related macular degeneration. Researchers found in their new study that an anti-apoptosis medication could slow photoreceptor loss and improve visual acuity for AMD patients, while also protecting retinal cells against oxidative stress. Cristina Kenney, MD and her colleagues from Discovery Eye Foundation (DEF) conducted a study that was published in Ophthalmology Retina journal. To compare effects of bevacizumab and risuteganib on mitochondrial function. They utilized human RPE cybrids. Their results demonstrated that RSG had superior anti-apoptotic effects than bevacizumab in inhibiting mitochondrial cell death, an ability necessary for maintaining vision when aging or with neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

The authors found that 48% of those receiving Risuteganib and 7% in the Sham group experienced improvements to their best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA). Furthermore, 48% of risuteganib participants also showed improved microperimetry readings; BCVA improvement strongly correlatable with improvements seen in microperimetry and color vision indices; post hoc analysis revealed greater outer retinal thickness/volume/ellipsoidal zone defect area reduction on baseline quantitative SD-OCT led to increased gains.

At the 2021 American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery/American Academy of Ophthalmology Joint Meeting held in Las Vegas, Nevada, several presentations focused on assessing the efficacy of intraocular injections of ranibizumab for wet AMD. Michael A. Gunderson gave one such presentation. Singer, MD from Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island in Garden City, New York presented data analyzing three-month results of the PALADIN trial. He compared the results of this study with those from prior ranibizumab studies, which demonstrated its ability to enhance patients’ visual acuity and quality of life. He further discussed the significance of protecting retinal health when treating wet macular degeneration caused by neovascularization, as this has an adverse impact on prognosis for this form of macular degeneration if left untreated for too long.