Advances in Novel Pharmaceutical Options in Ophthalmology

A special issue of Pharmaceutics (ISSN 1999-4923). This special issue belongs to the section "Drug Delivery and Controlled Release".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2022) | Viewed by 16328

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Faculty of Medicine, University Eye Clinic of Genoa, 16126 Genova, GE, Italy
Interests: retina; macular diseases; oct; angio-oct; anti-VEGF drugs; macular degeneration; central serous chorioretinopathy; pachychoroid

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Guest Editor
Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DiNOGMI), Univesity of Genoa, 16126 Genova, GE, Italy
Interests: pediatric ophthalmology; strabismus; amblyopia; medical retina

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the last years, several novel pharmaceutical treatment options have been investigated for the treatment of ocular diseases. For instance, the management of exudative retinal diseases has been largely revolutionized by the advent of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents. However, despite the promising clinical outcomes showed in real-life studies by the current agents available for treating these diseases, there is still need of improving the long-term clinical efficacy, by simultaneously decreasing the treatment burden and patients’ compliance. Currently, other novel anti-VEGF agents are being investigated in phase II/III trials for the treatment of retinal diseases with the aim of improving the durability and reducing the treatment burden. In this direction, other possible pathogenic pathways are being evaluated in the onset of retinal exudative diseases, in order to expand the therapeutic weapons. Nonetheless, other possible drug delivery strategies are being studied, including the port delivery system (PDS) and nonetheless, gene therapy has shown promising results in early phase clinical trials. Moreover, novel pharmacological agents are currently being investigated in the field of glaucoma, corneal diseases and prevention of myopia progression.
Hence, this Special Issue aims to collect papers focusing on the latest developments in the pharmacological treatment options for the management of ocular diseases, including among the others age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and vascular occlusions.

Dr. Lorenzo Ferro Desideri
Prof. Dr. Giuseppe Giannaccare
Prof. Dr. Aldo Vagge
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • anti-VEGF drugs
  • macular diseases
  • novel macular treatment options
  • novel anti-VEGF drugs
  • faricimab
  • Ang-Tie pathway
  • gene therapy
  • port-delivery system
  • exudative macular diseases
  • novel ocular delivery systems
  • myopia prevention
  • novel anti-glaucomatous drugs
  • corneal diseases

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 1540 KiB  
Article
GlicoPro, Novel Standardized and Sterile Snail Mucus Extract for Multi-Modulative Ocular Formulations: New Perspective in Dry Eye Disease Management
by Rita Mencucci, Giovanni Strazzabosco, Virginia Cristofori, Andrea Alogna, Daria Bortolotti, Roberta Gafà, Michela Cennamo, Eleonora Favuzza, Claudio Trapella, Valentina Gentili and Roberta Rizzo
Pharmaceutics 2021, 13(12), 2139; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics13122139 - 13 Dec 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 5457
Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the mucoadhesive and regenerative properties of a novel lubricating multimolecular ophthalmic solution (GlicoPro®) extracted from snail mucus and its potential anti-inflammatory and analgesic role in the management of dry eye disease (DED). GlicoPro bio-adhesive efficacy was [...] Read more.
This study aimed to evaluate the mucoadhesive and regenerative properties of a novel lubricating multimolecular ophthalmic solution (GlicoPro®) extracted from snail mucus and its potential anti-inflammatory and analgesic role in the management of dry eye disease (DED). GlicoPro bio-adhesive efficacy was assessed using a lectin-based assay, and its regenerative properties were studied in a human corneal epithelial cell line. In vitro DED was induced in human corneal tissues; the histology and mRNA expression of selected genes of inflammatory and corneal damage biomarkers were analyzed in DED tissues treated with GlicoPro. A higher percentage of bio-adhesivity was observed in corneal cells treated with GlicoPro than with sodium hyaluronate-based compounds. In the scratch test GlicoPro improved in vitro corneal wound healing. Histo-morphological analysis revealed restoration of cellular organization of the corneal epithelium, microvilli, and mucin network in DED corneal tissues treated with GlicoPro. A significant reduction in inflammatory and ocular damage biomarkers was observed. High-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis identified an endogenous opioid, opiorphin, in the peptide fraction of GlicoPro. In conclusion, GlicoPro induced regeneration and bio-adhesivity in corneal cells; moreover, considering its anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties, this novel ophthalmic lubricating solution may be an innovative approach for the management of DED. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Novel Pharmaceutical Options in Ophthalmology)
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Review

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16 pages, 907 KiB  
Review
Faricimab for the Treatment of Diabetic Macular Edema and Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration
by Lorenzo Ferro Desideri, Carlo Enrico Traverso, Massimo Nicolò and Marion R. Munk
Pharmaceutics 2023, 15(5), 1413; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics15051413 - 5 May 2023
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 5277
Abstract
Nowadays; intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs are considered the first-line therapeutic strategy for treating macular exudative diseases; including wet age-related macular degeneration (w-AMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME). Despite the important clinical achievements obtained by anti-VEGF drugs in the management of [...] Read more.
Nowadays; intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs are considered the first-line therapeutic strategy for treating macular exudative diseases; including wet age-related macular degeneration (w-AMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME). Despite the important clinical achievements obtained by anti-VEGF drugs in the management of w-AMD and DME; some limits still remain; including high treatment burden; the presence of unsatisfactory results in a certain percentage of patients and long-term visual acuity decline due to complications such as macular atrophy and fibrosis. Targeting the angiopoietin/Tie (Ang/Tie) pathway beyond the VEGF pathway may be a possible therapeutic strategy; which may has the potential to solve some of the previous mentioned challenges. Faricimab is a new; bispecific antibody targeting both VEGF-A and the Ang-Tie/pathway. It was approved by FDA and; more recently; by EMA for treating w-AMD and DME. Results from phase III trials TENAYA and LUCERNE (w-AMD) and RHINE and YOSEMITE (DME) have shown the potential of faricimab to maintain clinical efficacy with more prolonged treatment regimens compared to aflibercept (12 or 16 weeks) with a a good safety profile. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Novel Pharmaceutical Options in Ophthalmology)
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14 pages, 326 KiB  
Review
The Role of Atropine in Preventing Myopia Progression: An Update
by Alberto Chierigo, Lorenzo Ferro Desideri, Carlo Enrico Traverso and Aldo Vagge
Pharmaceutics 2022, 14(5), 900; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics14050900 - 20 Apr 2022
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 4559
Abstract
Several approaches have been investigated for preventing myopia progression in children and teenagers. Among them, topical atropine has shown promising results and it is being adopted in clinical practice more and more frequently. However, the optimal formulation and treatment algorithm are still to [...] Read more.
Several approaches have been investigated for preventing myopia progression in children and teenagers. Among them, topical atropine has shown promising results and it is being adopted in clinical practice more and more frequently. However, the optimal formulation and treatment algorithm are still to be determined. We discuss the pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, clinical, and tolerability profile revealed first by the multicenter, randomized ATOM 1 and 2 trials and, more recently, by the LAMP Study. Results from these trials confirmed the efficacy of low-concentration atropine with a concentration-dependent response. Although atropine at 0.025% and 0.05% concentrations has shown the most encouraging results in large-scale studies, these formulations are not yet commonplace in worldwide clinical practice. Moreover, their rebound effect and the possibility of reaching a stabilization effect have not been fully investigated with real-life studies. Thus, further larger-scale studies should better characterize the clinical efficacy of atropine over longer follow-up periods, in order to define the optimal dosage and treatment regimen. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Novel Pharmaceutical Options in Ophthalmology)
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