The first human randomized, double-masked, dose-escalating study of iontophoretic administration of dexamethasone phosphate 40mg/mL solution for anterior scleritis suggests the therapy is well tolerated and safe for this patient population, according to researchers.1
Iontophoresis, which uses a low-level electrical current to encourage drug migration across a targeted ocular tissue, shows promise for anterior uveitis treatment as it avoids the problems of poor bioavailability, rapid clearance and poor patient compliance that come with traditional drop therapy.2
Such benefits led researchers to investigate its efficacy with other treatment regimens that rely on topical dexamethasone phosphate drops, including non-infectious scleritis.
Researchers treated 18 non-infectious scleritis patients using iontophoretic administration of dexamethasone phosphate at three different doses on day zero and day seven of the study. The primary and secondary endpoints at day 56 were dose-limiting toxicity and improvement on scleritis scale score, respectively. They found a suggestion of efficacy even in the lowest dose group, and five of seven eyes met the primary efficacy outcome within 28 days.3
“Our results suggest iontophoretic delivery of corticosteroids is a promising potential treatment for scleritis, with favorable safety and preliminary efficacy results” in this Phase I trial, the researchers conclude.2
1. O’Neil EC, Huang J, Suhler EB, et al. Iontophoretic delivery of dexamethasone phosphate for non-infectious, non-necrotizing anterior scleritis, dose-finding clinical trial. Br J Ophthalmol. April 17, 2018. [Epub ahead of print]. |
