Recently, the use of triamcinolone acetonide (TA) injection has increased dramatically in treatment for several ocular diseases.
Among them, macular diseases such as macular edema due to diabetic retinopathy, venous occlusive diseases, ocular inflammation
and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are very common vision threatening disorders and are great challenges to treat.
In these types of chronic retinal diseases, repeated intraocular injections of TA are often required which increases the likelihood
of complications. In order to achieve sustained-release, maintain therapeutic levels of TA over longer times and reduce frequency
of intravitreal injections, researchers are investigating different implantable devices or injectable systems. However, as
of yet, there is no sustained-release product for TA available on the commercial market. This review discusses and compares
different sustained-release devices or injectable systems that are currently being developed.
KEY WORDS conjugates/codrugs - drug delivery system - microcannulation - ocular implants - triamcinolone
Supported by the Discovery Eye Foundation, Henry L. Guenther Foundation, Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation and the Research
to Prevent Blindness Foundation.