Ocriplasmin aids hole closure

Key Points

Orlando, FL-Ocriplasmin (ThromboGenics) can eliminate the need for surgery to close macular holes in a substantial percentage of patients.

The combined data from the Microplasmin for Vitreous Injection (MIVI) Traction Release without Surgical Treatment (TRUST) phase III program showed that at 28 days after treatment 40.6% of patients treated with microplasmin had closure of their macular holes without surgery compared with 10.6% of patients treated with placebo.

"Eighty-eight percent of macular holes result from VMA that is unresolved," said Dr. Kaiser, the Chaney Family Endowed Professor of Ophthalmology, Cleveland Clinic Lern er College of Medicine, and director of the Digital OCT Reading Center at the Cole Eye Institute, Cleveland.

Ocriplasmin, a truncated form of human plasmin that retains its enzymatic properties, was designed to treat symptomatic VMA and macular holes, with the goal of resolving focal vitreomacular adhesion.

"Ocriplasmin is delivered into the eye via an intravitreal injection. Once there, it targets fibronectin, laminin, and type IV collagen and has been shown in clinical trials to separate the vitreous cleanly from the internal limiting membrane," said Dr. Kaiser, nothing that this is an off- label use of the drug.