Merck's Remigromig Meets Primary Endpoint in Diabetic Macular Oedema Trial

Merck's investigational eye drug remigromig has shown promising results in a pivotal Phase 2b/3 trial for diabetic macular oedema. The company announced topline results from the BRUNELLO trial, which tested remigromig against ranibizumab, a standard anti-VEGF injection. In 984 adults with diabetic macular oedema, both doses of remigromig met the primary endpoint, showing non-inferiority to ranibizumab for mean change from baseline in best-corrected visual acuity at week 52.

The trial was conducted by EyeBio, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Merck. Diabetic macular oedema is a condition caused by leaky blood vessels linked to diabetes, which can progress to vision loss if left untreated. Ranibizumab is currently the standard treatment for this condition, but it does not work fully for up to 40% of patients.

Merk calls remigromig the first new mechanism of action in 20 years to achieve Phase 3 results non-inferior to anti-VEGF therapy. While both doses were generally well-tolerated, higher rates of proliferative diabetic retinopathy and vitreous haemorrhage were seen in the remigromig arms versus ranibizumab.