Beovu injections were approved by the FDA in October 2019 to treat wet age-related macular degeneration, a condition that can eventually lead to blindness. A warning about a retinal vasculitis Beovu side effect by the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS) in February 2020. From a February 25, 2020 article by Vantage reporter Amy Brown, “Safety scare knocks Novartis”, we get the essential information about this emerging Beovu safety issue:
Most worrying was the medical body’s alert about several cases of a dangerous form of eye inflammation called vasculitis; although this was seen in Beovu’s clinical programme, these occurrences appear to confirm that this is a real issue for the product. Retinal vasculitis can lead to blindness and although only 14 cases were reported to the ASRS, 11 were classified as occlusive retinal vasculitis. This happens when the smaller retinal vessels become blocked, and is of even greater concern.
A Reuters news report, “Novartis Launches Review Into Safety of Eye Drug Beovu”, provides additional information about this Beovu safety issue.
Lastly, there is a February 25, 2020 Endpoints News article by reporter Natalie Grover which dives deeper into this retinal vasculitis Beovu side effect, “Novartis’ plans to wrestle Eylea market share take a hit as Beovu is linked to safety concerns”.
We will continue to monitor this emerging Beovu safety issue for significant developments, with a focus on the FDA and other drug regulators around the world.
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