Iluvien, an intravitreal implant, is now available as a treatment for chronic diabetic macular oedema (DME) in the UK, announced the latest press release from Alimera Sciences.

The biopharmaceutical company has also submitted a simple Patient Access Scheme (PAS) to the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). If successful, this means Iluvien will be funded for chronic DME patients in England and Wales by the NHS.

Dr Simon Horgan, FRCS, FRCOphth, consultant ophthalmic surgeon at St George's Hospital and Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, UK, commented, "I am pleased to be able to finally offer this new sustained release treatment to my private pay and privately insured patients, who suffer from vision impairment associated with chronic DME. Iluvien is a welcome option for DME patients, who no longer respond to conventional therapies and who are facing progression to blindness. I am hoping that in the near future many more patients who are likely to benefit from this treatment will be offered Iluvien."

Dan Myers, president and chief executive officer of Alimera Sciences, added, "We continue to work with NICE and are hopeful that our simple Patient Access Scheme will make Iluvien available to a larger group of chronic DME patients in England and Wales, who are considered insufficiently responsive to available therapies."

NICE will discuss the Iluvien PAS submission on 15 May. For more information on Iluvien please click 

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Iluvien, an intravitreal implant, is now available as a treatment for chronic diabetic macular oedema (DME) in the UK.