Dr Steven Yeh Discusses Future of Suprachoroidal Drug Delivery

Steven Yeh, MD, professor of ophthalmology at the Truhlsen Eye Institute at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, talks about what he sees in the future of suprachoroidal administration and other unmet needs in ophthalmology.

Transcript

What else do you see in the future for suprachoroidal administration?

This is a really exciting time when we think about drug delivery, and there are a number of studies that are underway looking at suprachoroidal drug delivery for other indications. After its FDA approval for the treatment of uveitis, it's also being studied for other conditions, including diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, [and] tumors that affect the eye. As we understand the medication's efficacy and its safety signals for other indications, I see a future in suprachoroidal drug delivery for a number of retinal disease conditions, as well as ocular inflammation.

This is the first FDA-approved medication where medication is being delivered into the suprachoroidal space. Uveitis, as we know, is a vision-threatening disease indication and the visual acuity benefits, as well as the benefits to the anatomy of the eye, were really substantial and benefit patients both in terms of visual acuity and in terms of quality of life. So we're really excited about this technology and how it looks in the clinic in the future.

What are some other unmet needs in ophthalmology?

As we know that suprachoroidal delivery is effective for the treatment of non-infectious uveitis and, in particular, retinal swelling associated with non-infectious uveitis, we're going to continue to use this technique in other indications. So it's important that we continue to look at clinical trial data for the other indications where suprachoroidal drug delivery is being explored, including retinal disease conditions that are more common, such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetes, ocular tumors, and potentially disease-specific outcomes within the realm of intraocular inflammation and uveitis. There are other unmet needs certainly in the field of retina and uveitis care, and so we look forward to these results in the future.