Veligrotug Approval Expands Treatment Options for Thyroid Eye Disease: Michael Yen, MD

Veligrotug (Lumvoa; Viridian Therapeutics) was recently approved by the FDA for use in thyroid eye disease (TED). TED is often characterized by proptosis, or bulging eyes, as inflammation in the muscles around the eye can push the eyes forward, causing discomfort. Michael Yen, MD, an oculoplastic surgeon at Baylor College of Medicine and a lead author in the THRIVE study (NCT05176639), spoke about how this approval can help to treat patients with TED more effectively.

“If you go back 10 years ago, we really didn't have strong medical evidence to support any treatment that really impacted or had outcomes that really were significant and meaningful for patients,” Yen said.

For patients with TED, the primary causes for concern are proptosis and diplopia, or double vision. These conditions can have a major effect on how patients live, said Yen. Veligrotug was able to reduce proptosis by a mean of 2.9 mm across the study, which helped patients with quality of life. The study also found that 59% of those on veligrotug had an improvement in their diplopia compared with only 20% in the placebo group.

“When you think 2.9 mm, [that] doesn't seem like a lot, but that's a tremendous amount of proptosis reduction and makes a big difference in terms of their appearance when you can have that amount of proptosis reduction,” Yen said.

He also highlighted that the THRIVE study found that 70% of patients had at least 2 millimeters of reduction in their proptosis. However, adverse events were reported by patients and should be considered when looking to take the treatment. Specifically, Yen noted potential hearing issues and interruptions in the menstrual cycle for younger women. The latter adverse event did clear up after treatment was terminated, and all other adverse events resolved over time.

Overall, veligrotug offers a promising alternative treatment for TED, joining teprotumumab (Tepezza; Amgen) as among the only medications specifically approved for use in TED. With more treatments in development, it is an exciting time in the space, Yen said.

“I think that the future is very bright for thyroid eye disease,” he concluded. “We're going to have more treatment options…perhaps better treatments, or more convenient treatments for patients.”