As a physician passionate about treating and helping patients with retinal disease, I continuously seek out and study new treatment modalities. It can be a very scary time for patients when faced with retinal conditions, such as macular degeneration, retinal detachments, and diabetic macular edema (DME).
A new analysis of an old study suggests that early response to agents that block vascular endothelial growth factor can predict longer-term improvement in visual acuity in patients with DME.
Results from TIME-2, a phase IIA study, support further development of combination treatment with subcutaneous injection of the Tie2 activator, AKB-9778 (Aerpio Therapeutics), plus intravitreous (IVT) anti-VEGF injection for diabetic macular edema.
Results from a phase I study of KVD001 (KalVista Pharmaceuticals) for the treatment of central involved diabetic macular edema (CIDME) show that this plasma kallikrein inhibitor was well-tolerated, not associated with any ophthalmic or systemic safety signals, and led to fairly long-lasting improvements in visual acuity (VA) and central retinal thickness (CRT) after a single intravitreous injection.
Diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular oedema are both increasing in Spain, especially among relatively young people, researchers said.
Treatment with fluocinolone acetonide 0.2 µg/day significantly reduced progression to proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) in patients who were part of the FAME trials1,2 and had visual acuity loss due to diabetic macular edema (DME), according to Charles C. Wykoff, MD, PhD.
The topics of special interest to retina specialists during 2015 include optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and screening for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Important research is taking place to determine the etiology of angiogenesis, possibly leading to targeting therapies in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), ROP, and diabetic retinopathy.
Data show that the combination of navigated laser and anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) compares favorably with anti-VEGF monotherapy.
One center’s initial post-marketing experience with the fluocinolone acetonide intravitreal implant 0.19 mg demonstrates favorable outcomes and good patient acceptance.
A novel ophthalmic micropump system, implanted through minimally invasive surgery, is able to deliver the appropriate amount of drug needed at determined intervals, according to Mark S. Humayun, MD, PhD.
ALG-1001 is the first of a new class of drugs, integrin peptide therapy, now going through clinical trials for patients with age-related macular degeneration, diabetic macular edema, and vitreomacular traction.
Medical advances run gamut from AMD to symptomatic vitreomacular adhesion
