Efficacy of faricimab (Vabysmo) intravitreal injections in diabetic macular edema and macular edema with sub retinal neovascular membrane: A retrospective analysis

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of faricimab intravitreal injections in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) and macular edema with sub retinal neovascular membrane (SRNVM) who were unresponsive to previous treatments, including bivacizumab and dexamethazone intravitreal implant.
Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 28 patients (ages 40-88) with either DME (17 patients) or SRNVM (6 patients). All patients had received more than five avastin injections, and five DME patients had also received ozurdex injections without significant improvement. Faricimab injections ranged from 2 to 6 doses. Anatomical and functional outcomes were assessed.
Results: Significant anatomical improvement was observed in patients with DME including those with disorganization of inner retinal layers. However, no detectable improvement was noted on the visual outcome in some cases. SRNVM patients showed stable or improved outcomes with up to 6 injections. Functional satisfaction was reported by most patients despite the lack of visual acuity gain.
Conclusion: Faricimab intravitreal injections demonstrate anatomical benefits in DME patients unresponsive to other treatments in Sri Lankan population and offer a promising alternative therapy for managing nonresponsive cases of DME and SRNVM.