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Sarilumab improves vitreous haze, reduces steroid use in noninfectious uveitis
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CHICAGO — Patients with posterior segment noninfectious uveitis treated with sarilumab in a multiple-dose, randomized study saw more reductions in vitreous haze and steroid dosing than patients who received placebo, according to a presenter here.
“Vitreous haze, visual acuity and central thickness all improved in patients treated with sarilumab for 16 weeks and maintained through 52 weeks,” Quan Dong Nguyen, MD, said at the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting.
Quan Dong Nguyen
In the study, 38 patients with posterior segment noninfectious uveitis received 200 mg of sarilumab every 2 weeks and were compared with a cohort of 20 patients who received placebo every 2 weeks. The primary endpoint of the study was a reduction of two or more steps in vitreous haze or a steroid dose of less than 10 mg a day, Nguyen said.
At 16 weeks, Nguyen reported 64% of patients in the sarilumab cohort experienced at least a two-step reduction in vitreous haze or a steroid dose of less than 10 mg a day compared with 35% in the placebo cohort.
“Patients treated with sarilumab showed improvement of central retinal thickness through 52 weeks, especially those who demonstrated macular edema at baseline,” he said. – by Robert Linnehan
Reference:
Nguyen QD. Sarilumab, an anti-interleukin-6 receptor antibody, for posterior segment noninfectious uveitis (NIU): Results of SATURN. Presented at: American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting; Oct. 14-18, 2016; Chicago.
Disclosure: Nguyen reports he is a consultant for Allergan, Bausch + Lomb, Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals, Genentech, Oligasis, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Santen and receives grant support from AbbVie, Genentech, pSivida, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Xoma.
Perspective
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Sunir J. Garg, MD, FACS
Although oral, periocular and intraocular steroids are frequently used to manage patients with non-infectious posterior uveitis, steroids have known side effects. Cytokine inhibitors, such as anti-VEGF agents, have fundamentally changed the way we manage several eye diseases. Sarilumab is a monoclonal antibody that inhibits IL-6, an interleukin that is elevated in eyes with uveitis. Patients who received this subcutaneously administered medicine had twice the likelihood of significant vitreous haze reduction compared to the low dose steroid/placebo group. This drug could help us target a specific inflammatory mediator, potentially with less side effects than current available therapies.
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