NICE Recommends Roche’s Vabysmo for Two Eye Conditions

The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is recommending Roche’s Vabysmo (faricimab) for National Health Service (NHS) use in certain adult patients who have wet age-related macular degeneration or diabetic macular edema.

NICE said the recommendation was based on clinical trial data that supported the use of Vabysmo. Participants taking Vabysmo had 16-week intervals between treatments compared with eight-week intervals for participants taking Regeneron’s Eylea (aflibercept).

Vabysmo costs more than $1,000 per vial of 120 mg per 1 ml solution. However, NICE concluded that the drug is likely to save in costs or be of similar cost compared with Eylea and ranibizumab treatments, both of which are already recommended by NICE for NHS use.

Roche’s discounted price of Vabysmo for NHS coverage was not disclosed.