Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche on Monday says the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a drug named Vabysmo for the treatment of conditions that can result in loss of vision.

The drug targets neovascular age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular oedema; the two conditions are leading causes of vision loss worldwide.

The company noted that Vabysmo was the first and only FDA-approved injectable eye medicine that improved and maintained vision with treatments from one to four months, apart from the first year following four initial monthly doses.

“Vabysmo provides a new approach to treating vision-threatening retinal conditions through a mechanism of action that targets two pathways simultaneously.

“Vabysmo will be available in the United States in the coming weeks,” said Levi Garraway, Roche’s chief medical officer.