ILUVIEN, which provides a therapeutic benefit for up to 36 months, will now be be available in the NHS Scotland for the treatment of vision impairment related with chronic diabetic macular edema (DME) considered insufficiently responsive to available therapies in pseudophakic eyes.
The NHS National Services Scotland has also agreed to the patient access project in association to the supply of the product for this indication on behalf of all purchasing sites in the NHS in Scotland.
The company said that retreatment with ILUVIEN will be covered when the patient has previously responded to ILUVIEN and vision has deteriorated to less than 20/32.
pSivida president and chief executive officer Paul Ashton said the acceptance of ILUVIEN for DME by the NHS Scotland is great news.
"This follows the November 2013 recommendation of ILUVIEN by the U.K. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as an option for this indication and rapid implementation of the recommendation by the NHS in England," Ashton said.
The company mainly develops tiny, sustained release, drug delivery products designed to deliver drugs at a controlled and steady rate for months or years.
Currently, the company is focused on treatment of chronic diseases of the back of the eye utilizing its core technology systems, Durasert and BioSilicon, including Tethadur.