2026 Age-Related Macular Degeneration Pipeline

Jump To

Download the AMD Retina Pipeline PDF

This content originally ran as a poster in the May/June issue. Check out the print publication to view the full-size poster, or use the links below to download the PDFs.

Dry AMD Pipeline PDF Wet AMD Pipeline PDF

Watch as Peter K. Kaiser, MD, explains the poster and follow along with the graphics below.

When Retina Today updates its related macular degeneration (AMD) pipeline poster each year, I join the editorial team to review which elements need to be adjusted. One year, we re-drew the illustration of the complement cascade to make it more accurate. Another year, we added a color-coding system to the wet AMD pipeline candidate list to reflect which molecules targeted which receptors. In yet another year, we depicted the process by which gene therapy penetrates a cell to create a biofactory of therapeutic proteins. Each and every year, we added candidates to the list of pipeline products.

These tweaks slowly changed the face of the poster in service of creating a more perfect resource.

But this year, we did it all. New look, new illustration, new complement system schematic. And we actually cut some candidates rather than merely expanding the list. Think of it like pruning a bush: by removing candidates that have stalled in limbo for years, we made space for healthier candidates to grow.

We added badges to candidates that are undergoing pivotal clinical trials at the time of publication. Given the US FDA’s new rules (which may consider sufficient a single pivotal study rather than a pair of studies), we might expect to see even more candidates with this badge in the coming years. Seeing the pivotal study badge peppered on both the wet AMD side and the dry AMD side of the poster, one has to wonder if we’re on the edge of an approval explosion that could alter the treatment landscape.

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in particular are in the spotlight. If FDA approval is granted to one or both candidates currently in the pre-approval period, shifts in practice patterns seem inevitable. We recommend keeping a close eye on these two molecules—while keeping the other eye, of course, on other candidates’ trials, lest a press release announcing their results sneaks up on you.

We simplified the complement cascade schematic on the dry AMD side of this year’s poster. The previous iterations, while accurate, were cluttered. This year’s edition trims the cascade to only those areas targeted by a pipeline candidate. Don’t let its simplicity fool you (the complement cascade remains exceedingly complex), but do enjoy the ease of this year’s layout.

As always, we thrive on feedback. If you have ideas for next year’s poster or want to include a technology not listed here, email Executive Director of Special Projects, Cara Deming, at cdeming@bmctoday.com.