Early Latin American experience with faricimab for retinal diseases: FARI-LATAM study for the Pan-American collaborative retina study (PACORES) group
To report the early visual outcomes of eyes with a variety of retinal conditions that were treated with intravitreal faricimab during routine clinical practice in Latin America. Retrospective multicenter case series of 757 eyes of 732 patients who underwent at least one intravitreal injection of faricimab and had a least 4 weeks of follow-up. Our cohort consisted of 392 eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (NV-AMD) (naive = 105; prior tx = 287); 225 with DME (naive = 74; prior tx = 151); 50 with central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) (naive = 29; prior tx = 21); 20 with previously treated branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) and 69 (naive = 25; prior tx = 44) with other conditions. After a mean follow-up of 26.6 weeks and 4 injections, eyes with treatment naive NV-AMD eyes gained 9.1 letters (p < 0.0001) with a last mean treatment interval of 9.5 weeks. Previously-treated NV-AMD eyes gained 6.6 to 9.5 letters (p = 0.00146 and p < 0.0001) after a mean follow-up of 29 to 42 weeks and 3.8 to 4.3 injections with a last mean treatment interval of 9.2 to 12.1 weeks. In treatment naive diabetic macular edema (DME) eyes, after a mean follow-up of 24.8 weeks and 4.2 injections, there was a gain of 12 letters (p < 0.0001) with a last mean treatment interval of 9.2 weeks. In previously-treated DME eyes after a mean follow-up of 27.2 to 44.2 weeks and 3.8 to 3.9 to injections, there was a gain of 6.1 to 11.7 letters (p < 0.0001) with a last mean treatment interval of 9.6 to 15.2 weeks. Treatment-naive CRVO eyes gained 22.6 letters (p = 0.00369) after a mean follow-up of 26.2 weeks and 3.7 injections. Previously treated CRVO eyes gained 9.8 letters (0.5233) after a mean follow-up of 21.8 weeks and 3.4 injections. Previously-treated BRVO eyes gained 5.4 letters (p = 0.00862) after a mean follow-up of 28.1 weeks and 3.5 injections and a last treatment interval of 11.1 weeks. A total of 38 eyes discontinued treatment with faricimab and switched back to aflibercept. There were 3 cases of anterior uveitis that were treated with topical steroids. None of the eyes developed infectious endophthalmitis or occlusive retinal vasculitis. The early Latin American experience with faricimab is promising. On average treated eyes had functional and anatomic gains from baseline.
Authors
- Nassim Abreu
- Marcelo Zas
- Gregorio Gabela (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-7601-3402)
- Yazmín M. Báez
- Cristina Gabela
- Márcio Bittar Nehemy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4104-0346)
- Xi Rao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8194-9052)
- Berrocal Mh
- Andrea Elizabeth Arriola-López
- Jans Fromow-Guerra (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5335-1275)
- Gerardo García‐Aguirre (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6056-9475)
- Mauricio Maia
- Juan Ignacio Verdaguer
- Michael Politis
- Karen Barraza-Lino
- Lihteh Wu
- Miriam E. Flores
- Sergio Rojas
- Andrea Cardenas-Mirón
- Olivia Baldivieso-Hurtado
- J. Abel Ramirez-Estudillo
- Carlos Lopez
- Lisseth Chinchilla
- José Antonio Roca
- Melissa Young
- Wandsy Velez
Institutions
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (BR)
- Universidad Nacional Experimental del Táchira (VE)
- Universidade Estadual de Londrina (BR)
- International Potato Center (PE)
- Universidad de Los Andes, Chile (CL)
- Fundación Chile (CL)
- Cornell University (US)
- New York Eye and Ear Infirmary (US)
- Atlantic University College (PR)
- Puerto Rico Department of Health (PR)
- University of Illinois Chicago (US)
- Hospital La Luz (ES)
- Centro Universitario Ciudad Vieja (GT)
- Retina Associates (US)
- Panama Canal Authority (PA)
- Universidad Panamericana de El Salvador (SV)
- Hospital Militar Central (CO)
- Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería de Costa Rica (CR)
- Hospital de Clínicas "José de San Martín" (AR)
- Quality Leadership University Panama (PA)
- Institute of Peruvian Studies (PE)
- Asociacion Para Evitar la Ceguera en México Hospital Dr. Luis Sánchez Bulnes (MX)
- Centro Universitario José Vasconcelos (MX)
- Hospital Metropolitano (EC)
- Universidad Nacional del Oriente (BO)
- Hospital São Paulo (BR)
- Dominican Hospital (US)
- Universidad Intercontinental (MX)
- Universidade Federal de São Paulo (BR)
- Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (GT)
- Tecnológico de Monterrey (MX)
Publication Details
- Journal
- International Journal of Retina and Vitreous
- Published
- 2026-02-21
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s40942-026-00804-7
- Primary Topic
- Retinal Diseases and Treatments
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00