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faricimab

Class: Antineovascularisation agents.

This grade answers one narrow question: how strong is the public evidence and safety record behind this drug, and how clean is its money trail and court record? It is not a verdict on whether the drug is right for you.

B

Score breakdown (80/100)

Safety ×35%
A
Evidence ×25%
F
Regulatory ×15%
A
Money & lawsuits ×15%
A
Options ×10%
C

Safety: 95

Evidence: 40

Regulatory history: 95

Money & lawsuits: 100

Options: 70

What the FDA label says

Approved uses

is a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and angiopoietin 2 (Ang-2) inhibitor indicated for the treatment of patients with: VABYSMO is a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) inhibitor indicated for the treatment of patients with: Neovascular (Wet) Age-Related Macular Degeneration (nAMD) ( 1.1 ) Diabetic Macular Edema (DME) ( 1.2 ) Macular Edema Following Retinal Vein Occlusion (RVO) ( 1.3 ) 1.1 Neovascular (wet) Age-Related Macular Degeneration (nAMD) 1.2 Diabetic Macular Edema (DME) 1.3 Macular Edema Following Retinal Vein Occlusion (RVO)

Contraindications

Ocular or periocular infection ( 4.1 ) Active intraocular inflammation ( 4.2 ) Hypersensitivity ( 4.3 ) 4.1 Ocular or Periocular Infections VABYSMO is contraindicated in patients with ocular or periocular infections. 4.2 Active Intraocular Inflammation VABYSMO is contraindicated in patients with active intraocular inflammation. 4.3 Hypersensitivity VABYSMO is contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity to faricimab or any of the excipients in VABYSMO. Hypersensitivity reactions may manifest as rash, pruritus, urticaria, erythema, or severe intraocular inflammation.

Warnings and precautions

Endophthalmitis and retinal detachments may occur following intravitreal injections. Patients should be instructed to report any symptoms suggestive of endophthalmitis or retinal detachment without delay, to permit prompt and appropriate management. ( 5.1 ) Increases in intraocular pressure have been seen within 60 minutes of an intravitreal injection. ( 5.2 ) There is a potential risk of arterial thromboembolic events (ATEs) associated with VEGF inhibition. ( 5.3 ) 5.1 Endophthalmitis and Retinal Detachments Intravitreal injections, including Vabysmo, have been associated with endophthalmitis and retinal detachments [see Adverse Reactions (6.1) ] . Proper aseptic injection techniques must always be used when administering VABYSMO. Patients should be instructed to report any signs or symptoms suggestive of endophthalmitis or retinal detachment without delay, to permit prompt and appropriate management [see Dosage and Administration (2.6) and Patient Counseling Information (17) ]. 5.2 Increase in Intraocular Pressure Transient increases in intraocular pressure (IOP) have been seen within 60 minutes of intravitreal injection, including with VABYSMO [see Adverse Reactions (6.1) ]. IOP...

Adverse reactions (label)

The following potentially serious adverse reactions are described elsewhere in the labeling: Hypersensitivity [see Contraindications (4) ] Endophthalmitis and retinal detachments [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] Increase in intraocular pressure [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) ] Thromboembolic events [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3) ] Retinal Vasculitis and/or Retinal Vascular Occlusion [see Warnings and Precautions (5.4) ] The most common adverse reactions (≥ 5%) reported in patients receiving VABYSMO were cataract (15%) and conjunctival hemorrhage (8%). ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Genentech at 1-888-835-2555 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in other clinical trials of the same or another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. The data described below reflect exposure to VABYSMO in 2,567 patients, which constituted the safety population in six Phase 3 studies [see Clinical Studies (14.1 , 14.2 , 14.3) ] . Tab...

Recent major label changes

Dosage and Administration, Macular Edema Following Retinal Vein Occlusion (RVO) ( 2.4 ) 4/2026

Source: FDA SPL label for VABYSMO (Genentech, Inc.), effective 20260415. Full label on DailyMed.

Side-effect reports sent to the FDA

These are counts of reports people filed, not rates of harm. Anyone can file one, and nobody checks whether the drug was the cause. Millions of doses are taken for every report sent, so the useful part is how this drug compares with the average across all drugs.

570reports that mention this drug
570of those blame this drug, not another one the person was taking
77%of reports describe a serious outcome, such as a hospital stay (average for all drugs: 57%)
5.1%of reports include a death, from any cause (average for all drugs: 9.1%)

Problems reported most often

Off Label Use · 74No Adverse Event · 36Retinal Haemorrhage · 35Iridocyclitis · 34Uveitis · 34Drug Ineffective · 30Vitritis · 27Eye Inflammation · 24Death · 21Cataract · 19Visual Acuity Reduced · 19Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration · 17Blindness · 16Diabetic Retinopathy · 16Retinal Pigment Epithelial Tear · 15

Reports per year

20192020202120222023202420252026
34126777163129115

Source: the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports are voluntary and unverified. Drugs that are prescribed a lot, in the news, or in lawsuits attract more reports, so the percentages are compared with the whole database to correct for that partly, not fully.

Recalls and regulatory record

0recall actions on file
0 / 0brand / generic applications
0label changes since 2021
NoREMS program

Evidence base

27randomized trials (PubMed)
16systematic reviews
60registered trials
48%of completed trials posted results
0%terminated or withdrawn
50%industry-funded

Counts measure how much evidence exists and how transparent it is, not how big the benefit is. For that, ask your prescriber: if 100 people like me took this, how many would get better because of it, and how many would be harmed? (Doctors call these the "number needed to treat" and "number needed to harm.") It differs by condition and is the number drug ads leave out. Sources: PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov.

Money and lawsuits

In 2024, drug companies reported $0 in payments to US physicians and hospitals tied to this drug across 0 transactions.

No pending federal MDL names this drug or its brands.

Not named in any federal pharmaceutical settlement of $100M or more on record.

Sources: CMS Open Payments (Sunshine Act); Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation pending docket list; DOJ settlements as tabulated on Wikipedia with links to the primary record. State-court and individual suits are not included.

Who takes it and what it costs

Not in the Medicare Part D spending file (typically hospital-administered or very new drugs).

Same-class alternatives

1 drug in the same class grades a letter or more higher than faricimab on this site. Worth asking whether one of them would do the same job for you.

brolucizumabpegaptanibverteporfin

Same ATC pharmacological class, graded ones first, best grade at the top. Being in the same class does not make them interchangeable for your condition; it makes them worth asking about.

Questions to ask your prescriber

  1. The most-reported problems in FDA's adverse event data are no adverse event, retinal haemorrhage, iridocyclitis. How would we recognize and handle those?
  2. Off-label use is among the most-reported items for this drug. Is my use on-label, and if not, what evidence supports it?
  3. Why this one over aflibercept, bevacizumab, brolucizumab? What would make you pick one of those instead?
  4. There is no generic. Is there an older generic in the same class that works as well for my situation?
  5. What result are we expecting, by when, and what is the plan if it does not happen?
  6. If 100 people like me took this drug, how many would actually get better because of it, and how many would be harmed by it? (Doctors call these the number needed to treat and the number needed to harm.)