Comparative efficacy and safety of Faricimab and other anti-VEGF therapy for age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials

Introduction:

A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to evaluate the efficacy and the overall safety of Faricimab compared with other anti-vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF) therapy for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME).

Materials and methods:

A systematic literature search of a comprehensive electronic database was performed to identify randomized clinical trials published from January 2013 to January 2023 for Faricimab in AMD and DME. Weighted mean differences and risk ratios were used to integrate the different studies.

Results:

A total of 4 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with 1678 AMD patients and 3 RCTs with 20 DME patients were included in the meta-analysis.

In patients with AMD, a significant difference was found in the number of injections between Faricimab and other anti-VEGF therapy (MD = −2.42, 95% CI [−3.93 to −0.90], P = .002).No significant difference was found for the change in best corrected visual acuity (BVCA), central subfoveal thickness (CST), and gaining 15 or more letters. Similarly, no significant difference was found for adverse events.

In patients with DME, a significant difference was observed for CST (MD = −22.41, 95% CI [−29.95 to −14.86], P < .00001) and the number of injections(MD = −0.93, 95% CI [−1.33 to −0.54], P < .00001). No significant difference was found for BVCA and gaining 15 or more letters, and no significant difference was found for adverse events.

Conclusions:

Comprehensive evidence confirms that Faricimab achieves non-inferior or even better CST improvement than other anti-VEGF therapies with extended dosing intervals, but more long-term follow-up studies are needed to support our conclusions.