Results of a new post-hoc analysis of Beovu® (brolucizumab) demonstrated faster sustainable fluid control when compared with aflibercept in patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD). Sustained dryness was defined as the beginning of three or more consecutive fluid-free (absence of both IRF and SRF) visits, as measured over 96 weeks. The results, which come from new analyses on the phase III HAWK and HARRIER pivotal trials, were presented at the virtual 2020 American Society of Retinal Specialists (ASRS) annual meeting.
In both trials, over half of patients achieved sustained dryness faster with Beovu than with aflibercept. Additionally, more than 75 percent of patients reached sustained dryness faster with Beovu. Results also showed that following a three-month loading phase, patients treated with Beovu required fewer injections to reach sustained retinal dryness.
“In wet AMD, drying retinal fluid effectively is a key goal of treatment, with the amount of fluid in the retina determining how often injections are needed. Frequent injections can place substantial burden on patients, leading to treatment drop-off,” said Dirk Sauer, Development Unit Head, Novartis Ophthalmology. “This analysis gives us further confidence in Beovu as a highly efficacious option for rapid and sustained fluid control.”
About Beovu (brolucizumab)
Beovu (brolucizumab, also known as RTH258) is a humanized single-chain antibody fragment (scFv) inhibitor of all VEGF-A isoforms. In preclinical studies, Beovu inhibited activation of VEGF receptors through prevention of the ligand-receptor interaction. Increased signaling through the VEGF pathway is associated with pathologic ocular angiogenesis and retinal edema. Beovu is approved in more than 30 countries, including in the US, EU, UK, Japan, Canada and Australia, based on the results of the HAWK and HARRIER clinical trials.
About the HAWK and HARRIER studies
With more than 1,800 patients across nearly 400 centers worldwide, HAWK (NCT02307682) and HARRIER (NCT02434328) are the first global head-to-head trials in patients with wet AMD that prospectively demonstrated efficacy of Beovu at week 48. Both studies are 96-week prospective, randomized, double-masked multi-center studies and part of the Phase III clinical development of Beovu.
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Full news release: https://www.novartis.com/news/media-releases/new-novartis-analysis-shows-wet-amd-patients-achieved-sustained-fluid-control-faster-beovu-versus-aflibercept