Uveitis is a rare condition in which the uvea of the eye becomes inflamed. The uvea is responsible for providing the majority of the blood to the retina and also helps to protect the eyeball. Uveitis can affect just one eye, or both, and can vary depending on exactly where the inflammation is located. Often, uveitis is connected to another diagnosis such as lymphoma, Crohn’s disease, sarcoidosis, ankylosing spondylitis, or ulcerative colitis. It can also happen following eye surgery, injury, or infection. The types of uveitis and the affected locations are as follows-
- Anterior uveitis: Front of eye
- Cyclitis: Ciliary body
- Choroiditis: Retina/optic nerve
- Pan-uveitis: Most of the eye
Symptoms of uveitis can include redness, pain, light sensitivity, blurry vision, or vision loss. Symptoms can have a sudden onset and their progression can be quick. Treatment for the condition may include corticosteroids to reduce inflammation, eye drops, medication to treat the underlying condition, or surgery. Unfortunately, prolonged corticosteroid use can cause severe ocular complications such as cataracts, infections, or glaucoma.
New Potential Therapy
50% of anterior uveitis patients face a chronic form of the disease which requires them to take steroids long term. Fortunately, Aldeyra Therapeutics has been working on the development of a new potential treatment, specifically for noninfectious anterior uveitis. They believe it could effectively treat inflammation without the side effects that stem from prolonged steroid use.
Aldeyra has just announced that the very last patient in their Phase 3 investigation of the therapy has been dosed.
SOLACE Phase 3 Trial
The Phase 3 clinical trial is called SOLACE. It is examining a topical ocular therapy called reproxalap as a treatment for those with noninfectious anterior uveitis. The SOLACE trial was parallel-group and double masked and patients were randomized to receive the therapy. Treatment occurred at multiple trial centers. The primary outcome of this investigation is time-to-cure without a rescue therapy.
Aldeyra plans to announce their results from this trial in the second half of this year.
Stay tuned to hear the results on this trial! Hopefully we will see a new treatment become approved for this patient population in the near future.
You can read more about this Phase 3 clinical trial here.