4 Highlights of the ASRS Annual Scientific meeting | Charles Wykoff, M.D., Ph.D.

New treatments for geographic atrophy are predicted to be a hot topic at the American Society of Retina Specialists annual scientific meeting that starts today in Seattle.

Perhaps the most important development in retinal diseases this year is the FDA’s approval of Syfovre (pegcetacoplan) in the February for the treatment of geographic atrophy (GA) secondary to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). But the drug has stirred up debate, notes Charles Wykoff, M.D., Ph.D., because the main clinical trial results “did not have a strong signal for visual benefit.”

Wykoff, director of clinical research at Retina Consultants of Texas, deputy chair of the Blanton Eye Institute at Houston Methodist Hospital, and chair of the practice management committee of the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS), listed a presentation on the extension trial of pivotal phase 3 trial of Syfovre as one of the expected highlights of the 41st annual scientific meeting of ASRS in Seattle, which starts today and runs through Tuesday, Aug. 1.

The other three highlights mentioned Wykoff were presentations from the ARCHER trial of another GA drug, Annexon Biosciences’ ANX007, which Wykoff describes as working “upstream” from Syfovre on the classical complement pathway; data on surgically delivered encapsulated cell technology uses genetically modified retinal pigment epithelium cells to deliver ciliary neurotrophic factor to treat macular telangiectasia; and data he is presenting on the GLEAM and GLIMMER studies comparing tarcocimab tedromer (KSI-301) to Eylea (aflibercept ) for patients with diabetic macular edema.