ASRS 2026: JADE trial shows OLN324 achieves faster retinal drying and durable response over faricimab in DME

Trial background and rationale

Modern Retina spoke with Veeral Sheth, MD, MBA, FASRS, FACS, director of clinical research at University Retina and Macula Associates, at the 44th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS), held July 15–18, 2026, at the Palais des congrès de Montréal in Montréal, Canada. Sheth presented results from the JADE trial, a randomized, head-to-head, proof-of-concept study evaluating OLN324 vs faricimab (Vabysmo; Genentech) in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME). Faricimab was selected as the comparator because it represents the best-in-class dual-mechanism anti-VEGF/Ang2 agent currently available, making it the appropriate benchmark for a next-generation agent targeting the same pathway.

Key findings

The JADE DME cohort enrolled 83 treated patients across three arms from 30 US sites. Anatomic differentiation emerged as early as week 1, with least squares mean central subfield thickness reductions of 76.3 µm and 79.0 µm for OLN324 2 mg and 4 mg, respectively, compared with 44.8 µm for faricimab. At week 12, absence of DME was achieved in 84.6% and 88.5% of patients in the OLN324 2 mg and 4 mg arms, respectively, vs 57.1% in the faricimab arm (nominal P = .003). No cases of intraocular inflammation occurred in either OLN324 dose group, and no treatment-related serious adverse events were observed in any arm.¹

Looking ahead

Sheth identified the trial's most important takeaway as proof that meaningful improvement beyond current best-in-class therapy remains achievable. OLN324 is expected to advance to global phase 3 studies later in 2026, where larger trials will need to confirm whether the agent can improve vision outcomes and reduce injection burden compared with the current standard of care.

Reference
1. Sheth V. Results of a randomized, proof-of-concept clinical trial comparing OLN324 with faricimab in patients with diabetic macular edema. Presented at: 44th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Retina Specialists; July 15–18, 2026; Montréal, Canada.