As we head into the holiday season we are so thankful to all of the contributors to RETINA Roundup during the past year. You have made the blog a continued success.
We are exited about the upcoming year in our field, with new trial results, drug approvals, and experimental assets coming into the space. We asked three of our esteemed colleagues to comment about what they are looking forward to in 2019.
We appreciate their bravery in submitting their thoughts. As editors of the blog, we are less adventurous, and follow Churchill’s advice: “Always avoid prophesying beforehand because it is much better to prophesy after the event has already taken place.”
Happy holidays from our families to yours.
Jon, Eric and Yoshi
RETINA Roundup Editors
Omesh P. Gupta, MD, MBA
Wills Eye Hospital, Mid Atlantic Retina
“I hope 2019 will bring improved durability of anti-VEGF agents as well as advancements in delivery systems. This will not only help in the management of exudative AMD, but also diabetic retinopathy in which sustained VEGF suppression is a challenge.”
Dante J. Pieramici, MD
California Retina Consultants
“I am looking forward to investigating further whether gene therapy can be leveraged as a method for drug delivery in patients with neovascular AMD. Anti-VEGF agents have been very effective, and it now appears that we are on the verge of reducing the burden of therapy with novel methods of drug delivery.”
Charles C. Wykoff, MD, PhD
Retina Consultants of Houston
“I am looking forward to completing enrollment for multiple phase 3 trials in wet AMD, GA and DME offering the potential for expanded management approaches. Results of the DRCR.net Protocol V comparing focal laser to aflibercept to observation among eyes with center involved DME with good vision may immediately impact management. Results from early phase trials evaluating extended durability anti-VEGFs by Kodiak and GrayBug as well as gene therapy for wet AMD will also be interesting.”
