Roche Canada, pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance complete negotiations for VABYSMO to treat Neovascular neovascular AMD, DME

“Securing a letter of intent with the pCPA for VABYSMO is incredible news for patients and the vision loss community,” said Larissa Moniz, Director, Research and Mission Programs, Fighting Blindness Canada. “We encourage the provinces to recognize the benefit that VABYSMO can bring to nAMD and DME patients, and prioritize public access for eligible Canadians.”

VABYSMO is the first treatment for wet AMD and DME in Canada that acts by targeting both VEGF-A and Ang-2, two key drivers of vascular instability that have been associated with vision-threatening retinal conditions. This unique dual MoA is made possible by Roche’s antibody engineering expertise.

“This milestone is a critical step towards providing access to VABYSMO for Canadians living with vision loss from nAMD and DME,” said Varun Chaudhary, Chief of Ophthalmology and Professor of Surgery, Hamilton Regional Eye Institute, McMaster University. “VABYSMO has demonstrated promising results in terms of efficacy, safety and durability of effect for both these diseases, and expedited public access for Canadians in need of this treatment is of paramount importance.”

VABYSMO was reviewed and positively recommended by Canada’s Health Technology Assessment bodies, including The Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) in the fall of 2022, as well as Institut national d'excellence en santé et en services sociaux (INESSS) earlier in 2023, for the treatment of nAMD and DME.

"As a next step, Roche Canada is committed to continuing to work with other provincial jurisdictions to make VABYSMO available as soon as possible through public drug plans," the release stated.