Dr Steven Yeh Discusses Xipere Delivery Mechanism and Benefits

Steven Yeh, MD, professor of ophthalmology at the Truhlsen Eye Institute at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, explains the delivery mechanism and benefits of Xipere (triamcinolone acetonide injectable suspension) for macular edema, which was approved by the FDA in October 2021.

Transcript

Can you explain Xipere’s delivery mechanism and its benefits over other treatments available for macular edema associated with uveitis?

Xipere is delivered [by] a suprachoroidal mechanism of delivery. It's a new drug delivery platform that was developed for the treatment of macular edema due to noninfectious uveitis. What the drug delivery platform seeks to do is that it puts medication to a potential space just underneath the sclera giving high levels of drug within the retina and the choroid, while limiting medication to the front part of the eye or the anterior segment, thereby increasing efficacy while potentially reducing safety concerns with other medications that are currently on the market.

How does Xipere improve outcomes over the standard of care, corticosteroids?

Xipere was studied in the multicenter PEACHTREE study, which evaluated Xipere for macular edema due to non-infectious uveitis. The study looked at patients with noninfectious uveitis evaluated over a 24-week period. Patients were randomized either to Xipere, given 2 injections at day 0 and week 12, versus sham injection [no injection actually delivered]. What they found was that patients who were treated with Xipere showed that 47% of patients showed a 3 line or greater improvement in visual acuity and improvements in their retinal thickness with a reduction of macular edema. In addition, the intraocular pressure events and cataract rates were very well-tolerated and were quite low in the study.