Dexamethasone Intravitreal Implant (Ozurdex)

Key Messages

• CADTH recommends that Ozurdex not be reimbursed by public drug plans for the treatment of adult patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) who are pseudophakic and have had an inadequate response to prior anti–vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy.
• Evidence from 1 clinical trial and 2 observational studies was insufficient to demonstrate a benefit with Ozurdex treatment over other available treatment options in the relevant patient population. It was highly uncertain how Ozurdex compared with anti-VEGF therapy in terms of improving clearness or sharpness of vision due to many limitations in the 3 studies, and there was no evidence comparing Ozurdex with triamcinolone acetonide.
• Patients identified a need for new treatments that are less invasive and/or require fewer injections, but Ozurdex is administered the same way as other drugs for DME and there was not enough strong clinical evidence to show that patients would experience a tangible benefit from reduced treatment frequency with Ozurdex.