A New Approach for Diabetic Macular Edema Treatment: Review of Clinical Practice Results with 0.19 mg Fluocinolone Acetonide Intravitreal Implant Including Vitrectomized Eyes

Purpose of Review Fluocinolone acetonide is a synthetic fluorinated glucocorticoid. It has selective and potent agonist properties by binding to the cytosolic glucocorticoid receptor with high affinity; it is devoid of mineralocorticoid activity. Two extended-release (i.e., lasting up to 3 years) drug delivery systems containing fluocinolone acetonide (FAc) have been approved by the FDA for intravitreal use: Retisert® (Bausch&Lomb, NJ, USA) and Iluvien® (Alimera Sciences, Atlanta, USA). The former contains 0.59 mg of FAc, which is approved for the treatment of chronic non-infectious posterior segment uveitis. The latter contains a dose of 0.19 mg of FAc and is approved for the treatment of diabetic macular edema, and here we review the results published in the clinical literature relating to its use in the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME).