Back to Journals » Clinical Ophthalmology » Volume 5

Oral voclosporin: novel calcineurin inhibitor for treatment of noninfectious uveitis

Authors Roesel M, Tappeiner, Heiligenhaus, Heinz

Published 13 September 2011 Volume 2011:5 Pages 1309—1313

DOI https://doi.org/10.2147/OPTH.S11125

Review by Single anonymous peer review

Peer reviewer comments 3



Martin Roesel1, Christoph Tappeiner2, Arnd Heiligenhaus1,3, Carsten Heinz1,3
1Department of Ophthalmology, St Franziskus-Hospital, Muenster, Germany; 2Department of Ophthalmology, Inselspital, University of Bern, Switzerland; 3University Duisburg-Essen, Germany

Abstract: Voclosporin, a novel immunomodulatory drug inhibiting the calcineurin enzyme, was developed to prevent organ graft rejection and to treat autoimmune diseases. The chemical structure of voclosporin is similar to that of cyclosporine A, with a difference in one amino acid, leading to superior calcineurin inhibition and less variability in plasma concentration. Compared with placebo, voclosporin may significantly reduce inflammation and prevent recurrences of inflammation in patients with noninfectious uveitis. Future studies have to show if these advantages are accompanied by greater clinical efficacy and fewer side effects compared with the classic calcineurin inhibitors.

Keywords: uveitis, immunosuppression, voclosporin

Creative Commons License © 2011 The Author(s). This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License. By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms.