Wet Macular Degeneration: Two Investigational Injections Matched Eylea in the DAYBREAK Trial

Wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD) is treated with regular injections into the eye that block VEGF, a protein that drives leaky blood vessels. They work well, but the visits can be frequent. At the American Academy of Ophthalmology 2026 meeting, Charles C. Wykoff, MD, PhD, presented 1-year results of DAYBREAK, a phase 3 trial testing two investigational medicines from Kodiak Sciences against aflibercept (Eylea).

The medicines

• Tarcocimab tedromer: an anti-VEGF medicine partly attached to a clear polymer intended to keep it in the eye longer.
• Tabirafusp-ted: blocks both VEGF and interleukin-6, an inflammatory signal.

An AI-guided retreatment plan

Dr. Wykoff called the retreatment approach the most interesting part. At monthly visits, OCT scans were uploaded to an artificial intelligence program that measured fluid in the retina. Treatment was given when fluid crossed a low threshold, without waiting for vision to drop.

What was found

• Patients started with vision of about 20/60 on average.
• At week 48, vision improved by 7.2 letters with tarcocimab and 7.6 letters with aflibercept, meeting the trial’s noninferiority goal. 54% of tarcocimab patients had reached a 6-month gap between injections.
• Tabirafusp-ted gained 6.3 letters vs 7.6 with aflibercept and also met its noninferiority goals for vision and retinal thickness.
• No intraocular inflammation, blood-vessel inflammation, or eye infection occurred in the tarcocimab or aflibercept arms; one case of inflammation occurred with tabirafusp-ted.

What it means for patients now

Neither medicine is FDA approved. Dr. Wykoff said the company expects to file for approval of tarcocimab in 2026, and that more analysis is needed to find which patients might benefit from tabirafusp-ted. Follow-up continues to 2 years. Results presented at a meeting are also not the same as a full peer-reviewed paper.

• If you are receiving injections, keep your schedule; missed visits are a common reason vision is lost.
• Check each eye separately with an Amsler grid or by reading print, and report new wavy lines or blur promptly.

Wet AMD is treated by retina specialists; ask your eye doctor for a referral if you notice new distortion. For more reading, see keratoconushelp.com.

Source: AAO 2026: DAYBREAK shows tarcocimab and tabirafusp-ted noninferior to aflibercept in wet AMD (Ophthalmology Times, 10/09/2026). This article is an educational summary written by Khanna Vision Institute and is not a substitute for medical advice.