Emerging therapies for noninfectious uveitis: What may be coming to the clinics

Abstract

Corticosteroids along with other immunomodulatory therapies remain as the mainstay of treatment tor all patients with noninfectious uveitis (NIU). However, the systemic side effects associated with the long-term use of these drugs has encouraged the development of new therapeutic agents in recent times. This review article discusses upcoming therapeutic agents and drug delivery systems that are currently being used to treat patients with NIU. These agents mediate their actions by blocking specific pathways involved in the inflammatory process. Agents discussed in this review include full or recombinant monoclonal antibodies against interleukins such as IL-17 (secukinumab), IL-l (gevokizumab), and IL-6 (tocilizumab and sarilumab), antibody fragments against inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α (ESBA 105) and T-cell inhibitors such as fusion proteins (abatacept), and next generation calcineurin inhibitors (voclosporin). In addition, administration of immune modulatory therapies using methods such as iontophoresis (EGP-437) and intravitreal injection (sirolimus) for the treatment of NIU' uveitis has also been discussed. © 2014 Jose R. Maya et al.