Diabetic Macular Edema: An Early Trial Compared a New Injection With Vabysmo

Diabetic macular edema, or DME, is swelling in the center of the retina caused by leaking blood vessels in people with diabetes. It is a leading reason people with diabetes lose reading vision. Today it is commonly treated with injections into the eye that block signals driving the leakage. A small early trial reported by Healio compared an experimental medicine with one of the current standards, faricimab (Vabysmo).

The JADE trial

Margaret Chang, MD, MS, of Retinal Consultants Medical Group in Sacramento presented results at the Clinical Trials at the Summit meeting in Las Vegas in June 2026. The experimental drug, OLN324 from Ollin Biosciences, targets two pathways, VEGF and Ang-2. Faricimab also targets both pathways.

• 83 patients, some new to treatment and some previously treated, were split into OLN324 2 mg (27), OLN324 4 mg (28), or faricimab 6 mg (28).
• Injections were given on day 1, week 4, and week 8.
• The main goal was safety and tolerability through weeks 12 and 20.

What was reported

• OLN324 was well tolerated, with no cases of eye inflammation in either OLN324 group.
• Retinal swelling, measured as central subfield thickness, fell faster and further with OLN324 than with faricimab through week 20, according to Dr. Chang.
• At week 12, average vision gains were 8.4 letters (2 mg) and 7.7 letters (4 mg), compared with 6.9 letters for faricimab.
• Dr. Chang said phase 3 studies are planned.

Keeping this in perspective

This was a small proof-of-concept trial designed mainly to test safety, and it was a meeting presentation. Vision differences of a letter or two between small groups may not hold up in larger studies. OLN324 is not approved, and it is not available outside clinical trials.

If you have diabetes

• Get a dilated eye exam at least as often as your eye doctor recommends, even if you see well.
• Blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol control all help protect the retina.
• If you are already receiving injections, keep your schedule; missed visits are a common cause of lost vision.

DME treatment is provided by retina specialists; ask your eye doctor for a referral if you have blurred or distorted central vision. For more plain-language reading on eye health, see thousandoakslasik.com.

Source: Anti-VEGF/Ang-2 therapy shows fast drying in diabetic macular edema (Healio Ophthalmology (Clinical Trials at the Summit 2026), 07/29/2026). This article is an educational summary written by Khanna Vision Institute and is not a substitute for medical advice.