Alimera Science's Innovative Treatment for Diabetic Macular Edema Vision Loss Lasts for up to 3 Years

The following post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga.

Intravitreal Implant Provides a Daily Microdose Release to Reduce Disease Recurrence 

Amid required stay-at-home orders, many have paused or canceled doctor’s appointments over the past 12 months. Recent studies show some of the troubling effects of patients missing out on treatments for vision loss. Alimera Sciences believes it has a solution. 

A Daily Microdose

Recently, the Cleveland Clinic published a paper, “The Effect of Delay in Care Among Patients Requiring Intravitreal Injections,” regarding the results of patients missing their prescribed vision loss treatments due to the COVID pandemic. 

This 1,041-patient retrospective analysis examined the effect of a delay in care on the visual acuity of patients requiring intravitreal injections. The authors looked at patients with retina disease who had received an intravitreal injection in the 12-week period prior to March 14, 2020 (start of the lockdowns).  

Patients in the study were divided into 3 groups: those that completed their scheduled visit during the time period from March 14 to May 4, 2020; those that canceled their scheduled visit during that period; and no-shows. 

Upon returning to the office after those 7 weeks, patients who either canceled or were no-shows experienced statistically significant vision loss compared to the patients who completed their scheduled visits during the study period. The studies’ authors concluded that patients with DME and/or proliferative diabetic retinopathy and retinal vein occlusion are most vulnerable to vision loss with even short lapses in care. 

A second study conducted by Dr. Ashkanazy and others from Bascom Palmer Eye Institute drew a similar conclusion. 

But with such a dangerous pandemic underway, such regular care ceased to become an option using intravitreal injections, posing the larger problem of how to more effectively mitigate vision loss regardless of the presence of a global pandemic.

An Injection Every 3 Years

Enter Alimera Sciences, which developed ILUVIEN®, an implantable treatment for diabetic macular edema, thereby requiring far fewer treatments over a larger span of time. 

The sustained-release intravitreal implant is injected into the back of the eye and lasts up to 3 years. It is designed to release a daily submicrogram level of fluocinolone acetonide (a corticosteroid) for 36 months to reduce the recurrence of disease and the number of treatments required, enabling patients to maintain vision longer with fewer injections. 

ILUVIEN is approved in the U.S., Canada, Kuwait, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates to treat diabetic macular edema (DME) in patients who have been previously treated with a course of corticosteroids and did not have a clinically significant rise in intraocular pressure. It is approved for DME in several European countries under a different indication. 

In March 2019, ILUVIEN received approval in 17 European countries under the Mutual Recognition Procedure for prevention of relapse in recurrent noninfectious uveitis affecting the posterior segment of the eye. 

Why Invest? 

With over 500,000 DME patients in the U.S. and over 900,000 in the European Union, Alimera Sciences believes this to be a $2 billion global market opportunity. 

Currently, typical injections to treat the disease last only 1-3 months compared with Alimera’s 3-year-long ILUVIEN implant. With this model of consistent delivery, sustained effects and fewer injections, the company is confident in the success of its product and believes investors should be, too.  

Alimera’s goal is to be synonymous with good retinal health. The company has a passion for protecting the retina to preserve vision and strives to work hard, collaborate and commercialize products that will help patients maintain their vision longer. Its mission is to be invaluable to patients, physicians and partners concerned with retinal health. Find out more at https://alimerasciences.com/.

The preceding post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga. Although the piece is not and should not be construed as editorial content, the sponsored content team works to ensure that any and all information contained within is true and accurate to the best of their knowledge and research. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice.