Real-World Data on Morphological and Functional Responses After Switching to Faricimab in Recalcitrant, Chronic...

This study aimed to assess the morphological and functional effects of faricimab in patients with chronic diabetic macular edema (DME) who had an insufficient response to previous treatments.

We conducted a single-center, retrospective study including eyes with pretreated chronic DME that were switched to faricimab and received at least three injections. The main outcome measures were central subfield thickness (CST) and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) changes before and after switching to faricimab.

Twenty-two eyes from 18 patients were analyzed, with a mean pretreatment period of 5.7 years. Most eyes had been treated with two or more intravitreal agents. Before switching to faricimab, the mean CST was 468.5 ± 163.6 µm, which decreased to 383.1 ± 125.3 µm, 362.8 ± 93.4 µm (p = 0.207), and 339.5 ± 94.3 µm (p < 0.001) after the first, second, and third injections, respectively. BCVA showed improvement from 0.48 to 0.37 logMAR after the third injection, though the change was only statistically significant after the first injection (p = 0.022).

The study demonstrated significant CST reduction in patients with chronic DME in a real-world setting, even after prolonged treatment, suggesting that faricimab can lead to morphological and functional benefits in these cases. Further data are needed to explore the real-world, long-term effects and durability of faricimab in chronic DME.