Evaluation of Diabetic or Uveitic Macular Edema After Injection of a Fluocinolone Acetonide (AcF) Implant 1 Month After the Last Dexamethasone (DXM) Implant: Evaluation at 3 Years

Patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) or uveitis-related macular edema who have failed first-line therapy such as anti-VEGF, laser treatments, or dexamethasone implants (DXM) are candidates for treatment with an intravitreal injection of a fluocinolone acetonide (AcF) implant. AcF is unique in that it delivers intravitreal corticosteroids for 2 to 3 years, whereas DXM only releases them for 3 to 6 months. After 6 months for AcF and 1 month for DXM, full therapeutic efficacy is attained.

AcF's safety and efficacy have now been confirmed in the FAME originator studies as well as other phase IV investigations. However, in the FAME princeps trials and numerous phase IV trials where patients got AcF more than 6 months after DXM, up to 40% of patients required laser, anti-VEGF, and/or DXM retreatment within the AcF active period. This high rate could be attributed to AcF's 6-month delay in reaching full efficacy.

This is why the investigators intended to replicate the previous Iluvi1-month research, which shown that injecting DXM at 1 month preserved visual acuity and central retinal thickness for the first 6 months without increasing intraocular pressure significantly. The study, however, was unable to determine the long-term impact on the rate of relapses requiring additional therapy as well as tolerance with the development of long-term cortisone-induced glaucoma.

In light of this, the investigators should like to gather new data for a 3-year follow-up after AcF injection, including measurements of optic nerve fibre thickness (OCT RNFL). This is an essential safety data point because it assesses the long-term effects of ocular hypertension, which is a well-known side effect of intravitreal corticosteroids.