VEGFA Inhibitors & Biosimilars
17 drugsAbout VEGFA
Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), also known as VEGF, is a signaling protein that stimulates angiogenesis. It promotes the formation of new blood vessels, playing a critical role in various physiological and pathological processes.
VEGFA is a significant drug target supported by strong genetic evidence (max score 0.74) linking it to 28 diseases. Associations include osteoarthritis (0.74) and skeletal abnormalities (0.73), suggesting that modulating VEGFA activity could have therapeutic benefits.
VEGFA is targeted by 17 FDA-approved drugs, including VEGZELMA, LUCENTIS, and AVASTIN, across metabolic diseases and oncology. These drugs include biologics (10), antibodies (3), fusion proteins (3), and bispecific antibodies (1).
Strategic Insights
ℹ️ How we calculate- Validated target with strong trial activity and 81% attractiveness score.
- Emerging modalities (Fusion protein, Antibody) signal innovation opportunity.
Human Genetic Evidence Strong
VEGFA has strong genetic support with a max score of 0.74 linking it to osteoarthritis and skeletal abnormalities.
The strong genetic support suggests a higher likelihood of success in clinical trials targeting VEGFA.
Evidence Across Diseases
20 totalGWAS and other genetic studies link VEGFA to 28 diseases.
🔗 Colocalization Evidence 20 strong
max H4: 1.00eQTL/pQTL signals for VEGFA colocalize with these GWAS traits, providing causal evidence that gene expression changes drive disease risk.
Understanding these scores
Association Score (0-1): Combines all evidence types (genetic, literature, drugs, animal models). Higher = more evidence linking target to disease. This is a ranking heuristic, not a confidence score.
L2G Score: Open Targets uses a machine learning model (Locus-to-Gene) to predict which gene is causal at each GWAS locus. L2G=0.5 means ~50% probability of being the causal gene. Only associations with L2G > 0.05 are included.
Odds Ratio (OR): From gene burden studies (UK Biobank, AstraZeneca PheWAS). Measures how loss-of-function variants affect disease risk. OR<1 = protective (inhibiting target may help), OR>1 = risk (losing function causes disease).
Beta (β): Effect size for continuous traits. β<0 = protective, β>0 = risk.
Clinical Translation (~1.8x): Based on Nelson et al. 2015: drug targets with genetic evidence have ~2x higher success rates in clinical trials. We estimate: Strong support (score ≥0.7) → ~1.8x, Moderate (0.3-0.7) → ~1.3x, Weak → baseline.
Colocalization (H4): Tests whether a GWAS signal and an eQTL/pQTL signal share the same causal variant. H4 is the posterior probability that both traits are associated AND share a causal variant. H4 > 0.8 = strong evidence that gene expression/protein levels drive disease risk. This links genetic variation → gene expression → disease, supporting the target-disease connection.
Top Drugs
Eleven companies have approved drugs targeting VEGFA, with Roche, Novartis, and Regeneron as the top players.
The competitive landscape suggests high barriers to entry, requiring differentiated products to gain market share.
| Drug | Company | Approved | Indications |
|---|---|---|---|
| MVASI | Amgen | 2017 | 8 |
| ALYMSYS | AMNEAL PHARMS LLC | 2022 | 7 |
| AVASTIN | Roche | 2004 | 7 |
| LUCENTIS | Roche | 2006 | 5 |
| CIMERLI | Novartis | 2022 | 5 |
| PAVBLU | Amgen | 2024 | 5 |
| EYDENZELT | CELLTRION INC | 2025 | 5 |
| EYLEA | Regeneron | 2011 | 5 |
| BYOOVIZ | SAMSUNG BIOEPIS CO LTD | 2021 | 4 |
| EYLEA HD | Regeneron | 2023 | 4 |
| VABYSMO | Roche | 2022 | 3 |
| SUSVIMO | Roche | 2021 | 3 |
| BEOVU | Novartis | 2019 | 2 |
| ZALTRAP | Sanofi | 2012 | 1 |
Drug Modality Landscape
Modalities
Routes of Administration
VEGFA is druggable by both biologics (17) and small molecules (2), indicating broad therapeutic accessibility.
The bispecific antibody class is an emerging modality, representing a whitespace opportunity for novel VEGFA-targeting therapies.
📈 Modality Evolution
Antibodies pioneered VEGFA targeting (2004), with bispecific antibodies entering more recently (2022).
Clinical Trials 2,222 trials
Completion by Phase
| Phase | Total | Completed | Failed | Active | Completion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | 564 | 295 | 93 | 170 | 76% |
| Phase 2 | 1039 | 504 | 170 | 358 | 75% |
| Phase 3 | 415 | 235 | 46 | 134 | 84% |
| Phase 4 | 204 | 147 | 27 | 29 | 84% |
Top Sponsors
By Modality
Top Conditions
Phase 3 Readout Calendar Pro
8 Phase 3 trials testing approved VEGFA drugs across all sponsors.
Coverage: trials whose intervention is an approved drug targeting VEGFA. Pre-approval candidates with development codes (e.g. AZD0901, MK-7240) are not yet linked. Anchored on CT.gov primary completion date.
Drug Approval Timeline (2004 - 2025)
The first VEGFA-targeting drug, AVASTIN, was approved in 2004, with the most recent, EYDENZELT, approved in 2025.
The 22-year approval span indicates a mature market, suggesting incremental innovation rather than breakthrough therapies.
Pro Intelligence Preview
Deep insights for drug target analysis
Competitive Landscape
- • 11 companies competing
- • Market share by company
Full Drug Portfolio
- • All 17 approved drugs
- • Approval dates & indications
Genetic Validation
- • Full genetic evidence table
- • Effect sizes & directions
Approval Timeline
- • Full 17-drug timeline
- • First-of-modality markers
Clinical Trials Analysis
- • Competition: High (15 sponsors)
- • Success rates by condition
Full summary • All drugs • Genetic evidence • Trials • Timeline
How We Calculate These Metrics
Target Attractiveness Score
A 0-100 score based on trial activity, sponsor diversity, and completion rates. Calculated from 1277 clinical trials targeting VEGFA.
Completion rate: Percentage of trials that reached their planned endpoint. Trials terminated early, withdrawn, or suspended are not counted—these often indicate safety issues, lack of efficacy, or strategic pivots.
- Highly Attractive (80+): High trial activity, many sponsors, strong completion rates
- Attractive (60-79): Good trial activity and validation
- Moderate (40-59): Moderate interest from sponsors
- Low (under 40): Limited trial activity or validation concerns
Strategic Insights
Auto-generated insights based on trial analytics including competition intensity, white space opportunities, modality shifts, and failure patterns. We analyze trial sponsors, phases, indications, and outcomes.
Risk Signals
- High Competition: Many sponsors competing for this target (may reduce market opportunity)
- High Failure Risk: Low trial completion rates suggest development challenges
- Low Validation: Limited trial activity or poor outcomes indicate uncertain viability
- White Space Available: Underexplored indications present opportunities