Smaller Inserter Performs Well for Injectable Uveitis Treatment

A newer, smaller inserter has been shown to be even more effective for the delivery of Medidur than a previous slightly larger-gauge inserter. Medidur is an injectable sustained-release micro-insert that can deliver disease-fighting drugs to the eye — and could be of particular use in the fight against uveitis.

The new inserter, a 27-gauge, was found in the study to deliver the unit in procedures designated “routine,” “easy,” or “very easy” a combined 66% of the time. These numbers are a dramatic improvement from the previous 25-gauge inserter, whose use received those designations 46% of the time.

Medidur, once in the eye, releases a corticosteroid to the retina at a controlled rate over the course of three years. The testing on the new inserter size is actually part of the third phase in a series of trials on the treatment. The findings of the second phase, also recently released, showed that Medidur had a great impact on reductions in eye inflammation. None of the 11 eyes implanted in Phase 2 showed signs of uveitis recurrence over the course of two years after the injection. In addition, visual acuity was found to improve. Out of the 10 eyes in the study that did not receive Medidur, 6 suffered from recurrence of uveitis.

An additional Phase 3 study is currently underway in India, seeking to further evidence the efficacy and safety of the treatment.