According to a recent article, the treatment for macular edema associated with uveitis, Xipere, is now available in the United States.

Uveitis

Uveitis is a term that refers to inflammation of a part of the eye called the uvea. The uvea is the middle layer of the eye; it protects the eyeball and provides most of the blood supply to the retina. There are multiple types of uveitis, as detailed below. Uveitis is often connected with other diseases or conditions. It can occur in all ages, but primarily affects people between 20 and 60 years of age.

Types:

The type of uveitis depends on the part of the eye that is inflamed. It can affect one or both eyes.

• Iritis, or anterior uveitis: Affects the front of the eye. The most common type of uveitis.
• Cyclitis, or intermediate uveitis: Affects the ciliary body, the area just between the iris and the choroid.
• Choroiditis, or posterior uveitis: Affects the retina and/or the optic nerve, and may lead to permanent vision loss. The rarest form of uveitis.
• Pan-uveitis: Affects all three major parts of the eye.

Symptoms:

Symptoms often come on suddenly and can worsen rapidly. They include, but are not limited to:

• Eye redness
• Eye pain
• Sensitivity to light
• Blurry vision
• Dark spots in one’s field of vision, or “floaters”
• Vision loss

Macular Edema

Macular edema is the build-up of fluid in the macula, an area in the center of the retina. The retina is the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye, and the macula is the part of the retina responsible for sharp, straight-ahead vision. Fluid buildup causes the macula to swell and thicken, which distorts vision.

Symptoms:

The primary symptom of macular edema is blurry or wavy vision near or in the center of your field of vision. Colors might also appear washed out or faded. Most people with macular edema will have symptoms that range from slightly blurry vision to noticeable vision loss. If only one eye is affected, you may not notice your vision is blurry until the condition is well-advanced.

Xipere

Xipere is the first FDA-approved therapy used to treat the macular edema that is caused by uveitis. It is an injectable suspension made for suprachoroidal use; this use is ideal for this treatment because it gives a more targeted delivery of the therapy to both the retina and the choroid.

The treatment was approved based off of the phase 3 PEACHTREE trial. The trial, which was randomized, multicenter, and double-masked (neither the patient nor the researcher was aware of which treatment was being given), had a total of 160 patients diagnosed with macular edema due to uveitis. The results showed that 47% patients who received Xipere saw an improvement in their visual acuity after 24 weeks.

As of now, the treatment has officially been launched commercially in the United States. This is an important step towards more treatments for macular edema associated with uveitis.