Microplasmin Intravitreal Administration in Participants With Uveitic Macular Edema

Uveitis, an inflammatory condition that affects the uvea (iris, ciliary body and choroid) and adjacent structures of the eyes, is an important cause of visual loss. Most cases of uveitis, not related to an infectious agent, are thought to be autoimmune in origin and are effectively treated with medications to suppress the function of the immune system. Efforts to decrease morbidity, reduce the dose of more toxic immunosuppressive drugs, reduce the frequency of recurrences of inflammation and its sequelae are important goals in the treatment of uveitis. A frequent sequela of uveitis is macular edema. Treatment of macular edema in patients with uveitis has been a particular challenge. Current evidence from diabetic macular edema (DME) and vitreomacular traction (VMT) trials suggests that pharmacologically-induced vitreoretinal separation could be a potential treatment for macular edema associated with uveitis. Microplasmin, a truncated form of human plasmin and naturally occurring enzyme that dissolves blood clots, may be a reasonable candidate for the treatment of uveitic macular edema. The objective of this study is to investigate the safety and efficacy of microplasmin as a treatment for uveitic macular edema.

Study Population: Five participants with uveitic macular edema, with or without VMT, will be enrolled. In addition, participants must have no evidence of macular or complete posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) by Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) or ultrasound.

Design: This Phase I-II, non-randomized, prospective, uncontrolled, single-center study will involve a one-time intravitreal injection of 125 µg in 100 µL of microplasmin. Eligible participants can receive the intravitreal injection on the same day of the baseline examination. Participants will be followed for 24 weeks post-injection.

Outcome Measures: The primary outcome measure related to the safety and tolerability of microplasmin will be assessed by the number and severity of adverse events (AEs) and systemic and ocular toxicities during the study. The secondary outcome measures related to the potential efficacy of an intravitreal injection of microplasmin for macular edema secondary to uveitis will be assessed by a change in central macular thickness from baseline measured by OCT in response to microplasmin at 4 and 12 weeks post-injection, the number of participants achieving macular or complete PVD at 4 and 12 weeks post-injection, the change of ETDRS best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and the change of retino-vascular leakage from baseline seen on fluorescein angiography (FA).