- Today
- Holidays
- Birthdays
- Reminders
- Cities
- Atlanta
- Austin
- Baltimore
- Berwyn
- Beverly Hills
- Birmingham
- Boston
- Brooklyn
- Buffalo
- Charlotte
- Chicago
- Cincinnati
- Cleveland
- Columbus
- Dallas
- Denver
- Detroit
- Fort Worth
- Houston
- Indianapolis
- Knoxville
- Las Vegas
- Los Angeles
- Louisville
- Madison
- Memphis
- Miami
- Milwaukee
- Minneapolis
- Nashville
- New Orleans
- New York
- Omaha
- Orlando
- Philadelphia
- Phoenix
- Pittsburgh
- Portland
- Raleigh
- Richmond
- Rutherford
- Sacramento
- Salt Lake City
- San Antonio
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- San Jose
- Seattle
- Tampa
- Tucson
- Washington
Rahway Today
By the People, for the People
Merck Initiates Pivotal Trial for Investigational Eye Treatment
MK-8748 targets Tie2 and VEGF to address vision loss in neovascular age-related macular degeneration
Apr. 2, 2026 at 1:08pm
Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›
Merck has announced the initiation of a pivotal Phase 2b/3 trial evaluating MK-8748, an investigational bispecific antibody that directly activates Tie2 signaling and inhibits vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), for the treatment of neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration (NVAMD). The MALBEC study will compare the safety and efficacy of two dose levels of MK-8748 to the active control aflibercept.
Why it matters
Despite available therapies, many NVAMD patients remain at risk of vision loss due to continued vascular leakage. MK-8748's dual mechanism targeting both Tie2 and VEGF has the potential to offer a novel approach to maintain vascular stability and preserve vision for patients with this serious retinal disease.
The details
The MALBEC trial is a randomized, double-masked, pivotal Phase 2b/3 study evaluating the safety and efficacy of two dose levels of intravitreal MK-8748 versus aflibercept 2mg. Eligible patients will be randomized 1:1:1 to receive three monthly doses of MK-8748 or aflibercept, followed by treatments every 8 weeks until week 48. The primary endpoint is mean change in best-corrected visual acuity from baseline to Year 1.
- The MALBEC trial is currently underway (NCT07440225).
- A second study of MK-8748 in NVAMD is scheduled to begin later this year (NCT07496567).
The players
Merck
A global biopharmaceutical company known as MSD outside the US and Canada, advancing an ophthalmology pipeline including MK-8748 and MK-3000 for retinal diseases.
Dr. David Guyer
Founder, chief executive officer and president of EyeBio, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Merck.
What they’re saying
“Despite available therapies, many patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration remain at risk of further vision loss due to continued vascular leakage. With its differentiated dual mechanism directly agonizing Tie2 and inhibiting VEGF, MK-8748 has the potential to offer a novel approach to maintain vascular stability for patients with serious retinal diseases.”
— Dr. David Guyer, Founder, CEO and President, EyeBio
What’s next
The MALBEC trial is currently underway, and a second study of MK-8748 in NVAMD is scheduled to begin later this year.
The takeaway
Merck's investigational MK-8748 represents a novel dual-mechanism approach to addressing the continued vascular leakage and vision loss experienced by many neovascular age-related macular degeneration patients, despite currently available therapies.
