Positive recommendations for pharizymab. Patient communities: it's another chance to save sight

Retinal diseases are one of the leading causes of visual impairment and loss worldwide. Some of these diseases may be hereditary, while others may be related to age, diabetes or other diseases. Among the most common diseases are age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME).

Treatment of retinal diseases is provided under a combined drug program, as the same therapies are used for both conditions. They involve the administration of a drug by injection into the vitreous chamber of the eye. Such injections are initially given every 4 weeks for 3 months, and then the frequency of injections is adjusted according to the type of condition, the effectiveness of the therapy and the drug used. The usual interval between injections is 4 or 8 weeks.

Pharycymab makes it possible to extend the frequency of injections up to 16 weeks. In Poland, this treatment is for now only commercially available in private eye clinics. However, the therapy is in the reimbursement process. Importantly, both the Transparency Council and the President of AOTMiT have already issued positive recommendations for the addition of farycymab therapy to the drug program for retinal diseases.

Among others, patients affected by diabetic macular edema are very much looking forward to making pharizymab therapy available to Polish patients in the drug program. The condition involves the accumulation of fluid in the macula. The presence of fluid is the result of its infiltration from the small vessels of the retina and choroid damaged by diabetes. DME is a complication of diabetes.

- We have very good drugs in the drug program, but this one is a bit different, has a different structure, and that's why it's an opportunity, especially for those patients for whom the drugs used so far do not have the desired result. This condition is, unfortunately, quite widespread, and every drug, especially an innovative one, is another chance to save patients' eyesight," says Anna Sliwinska, president of the Polish Diabetes Association.

Meanwhile, DME patients are mainly young people. Forty percent of patients are under the age of 45 and are economically active. For them, the disease, which results in vision deterioration, is a risk of exclusion from daily life and work activities.

- Sight is one of the most important senses. If someone is visually impaired, it's a huge problem for him and his entire family. Such a person may no longer be able to earn money and worries about what comes next. It's also exclusion from household activities or leisure. It's a huge drama for patients and those around them," Anna Sliwinska stresses, adding that because of the longer intervals between administrations of the drug, including this therapy in reimbursement under the drug program could also bring great savings to the health care system and contribute to shortening queues to ophthalmologists.

It is worth mentioning that DME develops in 14-25 percent of patients with type 2 diabetes within 10 years, and after 20 years it appears in 30 percent of such patients. DME also develops in about 20 percent of patients with type 1 diabetes within 10 years of the disease. These are particularly significant figures when we consider that in 2030 there will be 360 million people living with diabetes worldwide. This means that the number of patients with DME will increase, and so will the number on the drug program.