Roche’s Vabysmo demonstrates sustained two-year results in a difficult-to-treat form of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD)

 Roche’s Vabysmo demonstrates sustained two-year results in a difficult-to-treat form of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD)

The SALWEEN study showed significant improvements in vision and retinal health1

More than 60% of Asian patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV), an aggressive subtype of nAMD, treated with Vabysmo showed no signs of polypoidal lesions1,2

By the end of year two, more than 60% of patients were on an extended 20-week treatment interval, reducing treatment burden1

Vabysmo was well tolerated with a consistent long-term safety profile1

Basel, 28 August 2026 - Roche (SIX: RO, ROP; OTCQX: RHHBY) announced today new two-year data from the Phase IIIb/IV SALWEEN study of Vabysmo® (faricimab), presented at the 19th Asia-Pacific Vitreo-retina Society (APVRS) Congress in Australia.1 The results showed significant improvements in vision and retinal health in patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV), a severe sub-type of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), the leading cause of vision loss in people over the age of 60.1-3

“The two-year SALWEEN results demonstrate the sustained efficacy and durability of Vabysmo in people living with PCV, a difficult-to-treat subtype of nAMD that is common in Asia,” said Levi Garraway, MD, PhD, Roche’s Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Product Development. “Since its initial approval, Vabysmo continues to demonstrate strong efficacy, durability and a favourable safety profile in treating a range of high-burden eye diseases.”

"PCV is an aggressive subtype of nAMD that accounts for up to 60% of cases in Asian populations — a burden that will only grow as the population ages,” said Professor Gemmy Cheung, MBBS, FRCOphth, MD, PhD, Duke-NUS Medical School, National University of Singapore. “These two-year results show that dual Ang-2/VEGF-A inhibition can change the trajectory of this vision-threatening disease. Achieving polypoidal lesion inactivation in nearly nine out of 10 patients, while allowing most to maintain a 20-week dosing interval, means Vabysmo can provide disease control while also drastically reducing the treatment burden."

The study showed that patients experienced a gain of 7.3 letters in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and a reduction of 127 µm in central subfield thickness (CST) from baseline averaged over weeks 100–108. At year two, 74% of patients had no retinal fluid. Vabysmo also had a clinically meaningful impact on the abnormal, polyp-like blood vessels characteristic of PCV, with complete regression (62%) and inactivation (86%) of polypoidal lesions in the majority of eyes. At the end of the first year, 51% of patients were assigned to extended 20-week dosing, which increased to 61% by the end of year two. Vabysmo was well tolerated, with a safety profile in PCV that was consistent with its known safety profile in nAMD.1