title: New pharmacotherapy options for noninfectious posterior uveitis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Noninfectious posterior uveitis is a leading cause of visual impairment. Although conventional immunosuppressive agents have been successfully used, these are nonspecific and their long-term use may induce significant adverse effects. The purpose of this article is to identify recent advances and future therapeutic options in noninfectious posterior uveitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A MEDLINE database search was conducted through May 2014 using the terms: uveitis, treatment, intravitreal and corticosteroid, biological. To provide ongoing and future perspectives in treatment options, also clinical trials as registered at ClinicalTrials.gov were included.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  For individuals who do not respond to conventional immunotherapy, two major lines of treatments can be identified as focus in recent years: i) the intraocular application of anti-inflammatory drugs and ii) the introduction of new agents, for example, biologicals and small-molecule inhibitors. Whereas intravitreal treatments have the beauty of avoiding systemic side effects, new agents are gaining increased importance because of their highly targeted molecular effects. Even when current treatment strategies are still hampered by the paucity of randomized controlled trials, promising progress and continuous efforts are undertaken to close this gap. Still, a critical evaluation of new agents has to be made because 'new' agents are almost exclusively based on experience in other autoimmune disorders.
authors.affiliation: Humboldt University, Charité Universitaetsmedizin-Berlin, Department of Ophthalmology , Berlin , Germany.
authors.forename: Uwe
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Pleyer
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Stübiger
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001688:Biological Products / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007167:Immunotherapy; D058449:Intravitreal Injections; D009883:Ophthalmic Solutions; D015866:Uveitis, Posterior / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D001688:Biological Products; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D009883:Ophthalmic Solutions
keywords: autoimmunity; biological; corticosteroid; cytokine; kinase inhibitor; small-molecular-weight inhibitor; uveitis