Drug updated on 4/18/2024
| Dosage Form | Injection (intravitreal; 6 mg/0.05 mL) |
| Drug Class | Vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors |
| Ongoing and Completed Studies | ClinicalTrials.gov |
Indication
- Indicated for the treatment of Neovascular (Wet) Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD).
- Indicated for the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME).
Summary
- Brolucizumab (Beovu) is indicated for the treatment of Neovascular (Wet) Age-Related Macular Degeneration and diabetic macular edema. It has demonstrated potential advantages in efficacy over other anti-vascular endothelial growth factor agents, showing significant improvement in best-corrected visual acuity and central subfield macular thickness.
- The information was derived from 11 systematic reviews/meta-analyses that compared brolucizumab's safety and effectiveness with other drugs used to treat these conditions.
- In patients with recalcitrant neovascular age-related macular degeneration, switching to brolucizumab after other treatments leads to significant morphological improvement despite potential side effects.
- Compared to most other anti-VEGF treatments like ranibizumab and aflibercept, Beovu showcased superior reductions in retinal thickness. Its efficacy in improving BCVA was comparable to aflibercept but required fewer injections, which could indicate better patient adherence due to less treatment burden.
- While promising results have been shown regarding its efficacy, concerns about Beovu's safety were raised, particularly around the incidence of retinal vasculitis and vascular occlusion. Most events happened within a short period after administration, indicating a notably high rate of serious ocular adverse events compared to Lucentis or Aflibercept.
- The drug’s complex safety profile shows comparable rates of serious adverse events as well as higher frequencies of specific sight-threatening effects at certain doses when compared with similar medications such as Ranibizumab or Aflibercept.
- Studies underscored the importance of population characteristics such as baseline severity conditions and prior treatment history on outcomes; it performed distinctively well among rnAMD patients previously treated by different anti-VEGFs.
- Achieving a ≥12-week interval using this medication indicates a reduced treatment burden, significantly impacting long-term therapy management and quality-of-life considerations.
Product Monograph / Prescribing Information
| Document Title | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Beovu (brolucizumab–dbll) Prescribing Information. | 2023 | Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, East Hanover, NJ |