- Phase 2 results for cream to treat signs, symptoms of dry eye associated with MGD
- Studies support clinical value of ultra-widefield and SS-OCT imaging device
- New combination treatment shows promise for metastatic uveal melanoma
- ASCRS news and events
September 3, 2021 • Volume 27, Number 35
Phase 2 results for cream to treat signs, symptoms of dry eye associated with MGD
AxeroVision announced positive results from a Phase 2 study evaluating the company’s once-daily glucocorticoid cream for treatment of signs and symptoms of dry eye disease associated with MGD. Nearly 130 patients were randomized to receive AXR-270 0.2% (low dose), AXR-270 2% (high dose), or vehicle for 3 weeks. The primary outcome measure was incidence of ocular and systemic adverse events at day 22. According to the company’s press release, both doses of AXR-270 demonstrated safety and tolerability. AXR-270 0.2% provided statistically significant improvements from baseline in eye dryness scores, eye discomfort scores, tear breakup time, and total corneal fluorescein staining, the company reported. Based on these results, the company announced that it would move on to enroll 800 patients in a Phase 3 trial that will compare AXR-270 0.2% to vehicle in the first quarter of 2022.
Studies support clinical value of ultra-widefield and SS-OCT imaging device
TeOptos announced the publication of two studies evaluating its Silverstone ultra-widefield fundus photography and swept-source OCT imaging device. One of these studies, published in the journal International Ophthalmology, was a consecutive case series that evaluated the clinical utility of the device’s optomap-guided SS-OCT across a variety of retinal diseases. The study found that this technology helped impact clinical decision-making in 84% of cases, with 69% of cases having pathology only in the periphery and 31% having only macular pathology. The second study, published in the Journal of VitreoRetinal Diseases, evaluated the clinical significance of peripheral OCT with the device. It found that the optomap-guided SS-OCT image directly contributed to patient management plans/patient care in 38% of cases. The authors concluded that the technology was “clinically practical” and “provided high-quality characterization of peripheral retinal lesions for all eyes.”
New combination treatment shows promise for metastatic uveal melanoma
There are currently no effective treatments for patients with metastatic uveal melanoma, which carries a median survival of less than 12 months, according to a study published in Nature Communications. The study, which included 29 patients with metastatic uveal melanoma, evaluated a new combination treatment of two inhibitor drugs, according to a news article put out by the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Out of this group, the tumors of four patients shrank significantly and disease was slowed in several other patients. According to the university’s article, some patients involved in the study are still alive, 3 years after the study began, which is longer than expected for this disease. The combination therapy included an HDAC inhibitor (entinostat) and a PD-1 inhibitor (pembrolizumab). According to the paper, this is the first time a combined epigenetic and immunotherapy treatment demonstrated tumor regression in a subset of patients with metastatic uveal melanoma. The authors suggested a randomized trial to compare epigenetic/immunotherapy to immunotherapy alone. They also suggested research evaluating entinostat’s impact on other treatments in patients with uveal melanoma.
ASCRS news and events
- 2022 Annual Meeting: Registration for the 2022 ASCRS Annual Meeting, taking place in Washington, D.C., April 22–26, opens in November. Sign up here to receive an alert when registration opens.
- ASCRS Glaucoma Building Blocks: Registration has reopened for a limited time for this four-episode, on-demand CME series in comprehensive glaucoma management. Learn more and register for this program to strengthen your foundation in modern glaucoma management.
- CME opportunity: “ASCRS Satellite CME: Supplemental Education to the ASCRS Annual Meeting” includes four, 1-hour programs captured at the 2021 Annual Meeting that are now available online and on-demand for viewing/claiming credit. These programs are complimentary and available to ASCRS members and non-members. Learn more.
Research highlights
- A prospective, randomized, controlled trial published in Ophthalmology showed the efficacy of laser peripheral iridotomy in patients who were primary angle closure suspects. The multi-center study in Singapore enrolled 480 patients older than 50 with bilateral, asymptomatic primary angle closure, defined as ≥2 quadrants of appositional angle closure on gonioscopy. Laser peripheral iridotomy was performed in one eye prophylactically; the other eye served as a control. Patients were followed each year for 5 years after treatment. Though the overall incidence of primary angle closure or primary angle closure glaucoma in this timeframe was low, the authors reported that eyes treated with laser peripheral iridotomy were less likely to develop these conditions over time.
- A small case series published in JAMA Ophthalmology sought to investigate wrong intravitreal injections that occurred at Kaiser Permanente Northern California. The retrospective case series of a convenience sample between Jan. 1, 2019–Dec. 30, 2020, found that more than 147,000 injections were performed and, within this sample, four cases of injection errors were identified. According to the paper, the errors occurred for various reasons: inaccurate review of the medical record, inadequate surgeon/staff focus, and inconsistency with surgical checklists and timeouts. Fortunately, there were not long-term ocular comorbidities as a result of these errors, the authors reported. The authors emphasized the need for a “standardized teams-based approach that incorporates rigorous safety protocols” to reduce the risk of wrong intravitreal injections in the future.
This issue of EyeWorld Weekly was edited by Stacy Jablonski and Liz Hillman.
EyeWorld Weekly (ISSN 1089-0319), a digital publication of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS), is published every Friday, distributed by email, and posted live on Friday.
Medical Editors: Eric Donnenfeld, MD, Chief Medical Editor; Rosa Braga-Mele, MD, Cataract Editor; Clara Chan, MD, Cornea Editor; Nathan Radcliffe, MD, Glaucoma Editor; and Vance Thompson, MD, Refractive Editor
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