Q&A: Jennifer I. Lim, MD, shares insights from the DAVIO-2 study

Jennifer I. Lim, MD at the 2025 ASRS meeting

At the ASRS 2025 meeting, Jennifer I. Lim, MD, presented on the DAVIO-2 study comparing EYP-1901 to aflibercept for patients with neovascular AMD. She shared with Modern Retina that the non-inferiority trial showed that a single dose of EYP-1901 provided comparable vision results to repeated aflibercept treatments. The therapeutic candidate demonstrated a unique bioerodible, sustained-release mechanism potentially allowing six-month dosing. Participants were high-need patients with extensive prior treatment, and the ongoing phase 3 study aims to further validate these promising initial findings.

Note: The following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.

Modern Retina: Can you share a few highlights from your presentation here at the 2025 ASRS meeting held in Long Beach, California?

Jennifer I. Lim, MD: The DAVIO-2 study was a non-inferiority study that compared EYP-1901 to aflibercept. Basically, it compared 1 dose of either low-dose EY-1901 which is 2 milligrams or high-dose EYP-1901, which is a 3 milligram dose, to aflibercept, given every 8 weeks. These were the 3 arms of the study, and they were given in a randomized fashion, after 3 loading, doses of a aflibercept were given. During this study, which took 1 year, patients were allowed supplemental of aflibercept based on pre-specified criteria.

Now the primary endpoint was an average of weeks 28 and 32 best-corrected visual acuity for each of the arms. And basically what was found was that despite the fact that only 1 dose of EYP-1901, was given those arms had non-inferior vision, as compared to the aflibercept arms, which received aflibercept every 8 weeks.

MR: How might this study inform future research?

Lim: This is a really interesting study, I think, because it helps frame the treatment algorithm for the future, phase 3, which is actually ongoing right now and fully enrolled. So we're waiting to see what happens. Because of what we saw in the phase 2 studies, in phase 3, patients are dosed every 6 months, because this drug can last for 6 months. It's bioerodible. It's non-peglated, and actually it results, actually, in a sustained release over the 6 months, which is also zero-order kinetics, and it's a very continuous dose. And I think it gives our patients another treatment option, in the future, that will prevent having to have these patients have re-dosing.

MR: Were the patients in this study previously treated?

Lim: The patients who were included in DAVIO-2 were patients who were previously treated for their neovascular AMD, and in fact, on average, they had had 10 prior anti-VEGF injections in the year prior to the enrollment. So these were high needs patients.