Research advances in local drug treatment for diabetic macular edema

Until recently,pharmacologic agents treating diabetic macular edema (DME) required intravitreal injection. The most common agents used in the clinic are corticosteroids and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) antagonists.The less common drug classifications such as TNF-αantagonists and NAISDs have shown certain effects in some small-scale clinical research.Results of new medications,which include sirolimos,iCo-007,and RNAi drugs and some systemic medications were also reported.The appearance of sustained-release intraocular implants offer new approaches to treat diseases of the ocular posterior segment.Ⅰ-vation, Retisert, Iluvien and Posurdex have shown good results in the clinical research of DME treatment,which still need further evaluations to ensure effectiveness and safety. Key words: Macular edema,diabetic;  Drug therapy;  Drug implants,intraocular