dexamethasone (Ozurdex)

following a second resubmission:

dexamethasone intravitreal implant (Ozurdex®) is accepted for restricted use within NHS Scotland.

Indication under review: treatment of adult patients with macular oedema following either branch retinal vein occlusion or central retinal vein occlusion.

SMC restriction: for use in adult patients with macular oedema (i) following central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) and (ii) in patients with branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) who are not clinically suitable for laser treatment including patients with dense macular haemorrhage or patients who have received and failed on previous laser treatment.

In two phase III studies dexamethasone 700 microgram intravitreal implant was superior to sham administration at day 90 for the proportion of patients with a best corrected visual acuity improvement of ≥15 letters.  Longer-term effectiveness of treatment is uncertain.