Advancing Ocular Safety Profile Assessment: A Novel Grading Scale for Ocular Adverse Reactions Associated with...

Targeted cancer therapies have transformed the landscape of cancer treatments but are often associated with off-target adverse drug reactions due to overlapping molecular pathways in healthy tissues, including those in the eye. Fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs), expressed across various parts of the eye, can become unintended targets of FGFR inhibitors such as erdafitinib, infigratinib, and pemigatinib, leading to ocular adverse events (AEs) affecting the ocular surface and retina. AEs across clinical trials are graded using the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE), which may not completely capture the ocular sequelae resulting from the use of emerging therapies. As CTCAE grading is mainly through the description of symptoms and their impact on visual acuity, it is imperative to use a tool that relies more on objective findings from ophthalmologic evaluations. The novel ocular adverse reaction severity grading scale developed by Amgen in collaboration with expert ophthalmologists, accounts for the anatomical regions impacted by ocular adverse reactions and anchors each severity grade to objective observable criteria from ophthalmologic evaluations. This grading scale is being used across the clinical development program for bemarituzumab to precisely characterize the ocular safety profile, enabling cross-specialty collaboration between oncologists and eye care providers to implement appropriate management strategies. This commentary article highlights the efforts led by Amgen in collaboration with regulatory, medical, and academic fields to develop tools that facilitate early recognition of adverse reactions and appropriate interventions for patient care.