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'Slurry' Kenalog cost-effective, easy alternative for intraocular steroid delivery
MIAMI — A single injection of Kenalog lasts for an average of almost 8.5 months and has average or lower side effects compared with other long-term implantable steroid injection devices, according to a speaker here.
“Over 1,000 papers have demonstrated the benefit of Kenalog without a single case of reported retinal toxicity, despite the warnings on this excellent medication. Sterile inflammation has been reported in both the preservative and preservative-free version of this medication, but this is an off-label use of this medication,” Susan M. Malinowski, MD, FACS, said at Angiogenesis, Exudation, and Degeneration 2017.
A centrifuge is the best way to prepare the “slurry” Kenalog (triamcinolone, Bristol-Myers Squibb) as Millipore filtration is unreliable and sedimentation can take hours.
“The centrifuge is the same as sedimentation on steroids, no pun intended. It uses 1,318 times the force of gravity to concentrate the medication. I call this slurry Kenalog,” Malinowski said.
She said she has performed 257 injections of triamcinolone in 63 eyes of 52 patients in the past 7.5 years. The average duration of a single injection was 8.4 months, and it had similar or lower side effects than commercially available preparation techniques. The cost of 2 years of therapy, an average of 2.9 injections, is $29.
“There were no serious adverse events during this time, and it’s very cost-effective,” she said. – by Robert Linnehan
Reference:
Malinowski SM. Slurry Kenalog: A lower cost, quick and easy alternative for long-term intraocular steroid delivery. Presented at: Angiogenesis, Exudation, and Degeneration 2017; Feb. 11, 2017; Miami.
Disclosure: Malinowski reports no relevant financial disclosures.