nAMD, DR, and DME: Advances in Sustained Delivery Strategies

0.50CME

30MINS

Overview

Provider Statement

This continuing education activity is provided by

Support Statement

This activity is supported by an educational grant from Genentech, a member of the Roche Group.

Activity Description

Long-acting drug delivery systems are emerging as transformative approaches for managing patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), diabetic retinopathy (DR), and diabetic macular edema (DME), addressing the significant burden associated with frequent intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor injections. Chronic treatment requirements often lead to poor adherence, treatment fatigue, and suboptimal real-world visual outcomes compared with those reported in clinical trials. Corticosteroid implants (dexamethasone and fluocinolone acetonide) and long-acting delivery systems (Port Delivery System with ranibizumab) provide sustained drug release and enable extended dosing intervals up to 24 weeks or longer. Clinical trials have demonstrated that these approaches can maintain visual and anatomic outcomes while substantially reducing treatment frequency, thereby improving patient adherence and quality of life. Recent advancements, including device refinements and optimized surgical techniques, have enhanced the safety and durability of these systems. In addition, novel therapies—such as degradable steroid implants, gene therapies, and tyrosine kinase inhibitor–based delivery platforms—aim to further extend durability by enabling continuous intraocular drug production or prolonged pathway inhibition. In this CE activity, expert faculty review the current clinical and real-world evidence that guides the use of sustained drug delivery options for patients with nAMD, DR, and DME and discuss procedural techniques that help optimize patient outcomes.

Target Audience

The intended audience for this activity is retina specialists and ophthalmologists involved in the management of patients with nAMD, DR, or DME.

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this activity, participants should be better able to:

Apply current clinical evidence to guide the use of sustained delivery options for patients with nAMD, DR, or DME.
Use procedural techniques that optimize outcomes when inserting or refilling intravitreal implants.

Activity Chair

Carl D. Regillo, MD, FACS, FASRS
Director, Retina Service
Wills Eye Hospital
Professor of Ophthalmology
Thomas Jefferson University
Mid Atlantic Retina
Philadelphia, PA

Faculty

Saad Ahmad, MD, FAAO, FASRS
Kovach Eye Institute
Chicago, IL

Carl C. Awh, MD, FASRS
President, Tennessee Retina
Nashville, TN

Planner/Reviewer

Ronald A. Codario, MD, EMBA, FACP, FNLA, RPVI, CHCP

Medical Writer

Erin Sanborn, OTD, OTR/L, CHT

Accreditation

ACCME Jointly accredited In support of improving patient care, Vindico Medical Education is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Credit Designation

Vindico Medical Education designates this enduring material for a maximum of 0.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

This enduring material is approved for 1 year from the date of original release, September 11, 2026, to September 10, 2027.

How to Participate in This Activity and Obtain CE Credit

To participate in this activity, you must read the objectives, answer the polling and pretest questions, view the content, and complete the posttest and evaluation. Provide only one (1) correct answer for each question. A satisfactory score is defined as answering 2 of the 3 posttest questions correctly. If a satisfactory score on the posttest is achieved, Vindico Medical Education will issue an AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ certificate.

In addition to providing a downloadable certificate, CME Providers accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) have the ability to transmit CME credit data for all US physicians to an online repository, the ACCME Program and Activity Reporting System (PARS). CME credit data submitted to PARS can be viewed, managed, and tracked by US physicians in "CME Passport," a free, centralized web application. US Physicians who opt-in by providing their medical license number, state of licensure, and date of birth will have their credits automatically reported to the ACCME.

Disclosures

Vindico Medical Education adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. Individuals in a position to control the content of a continuing education activity, including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others, are required to disclose all financial relationships with ineligible companies. All relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies have been mitigated prior to the commencement of the activity.

Relationship information is accurate at the time of content development.

Activity Chair and Faculty report the following relevant financial relationship(s)

Saad Ahmad, MD, FAAO, FASRS
Consultant: ANI, Astellas, Genentech/Roche
Independent Research Contractor: Ocular Therapeutix

Carl C. Awh, MD
Royalties or Patent Beneficiary: Bausch + Lomb, FCI Ophthalmics/Katalyst Surgical/Zeiss, Harrow, Zeiss
Consultant: Bausch + Lomb, Genentech, Ocular Therapeutix
Independent Research Contractor: 4DMT, Adverum, Allergan, Astellas/AIRM, Chengdu Kanghong, Genentech, Harrow, Kodiak, Ocular Therapeutix, Regeneron, Regenxbio

Carl D. Regillo, MD, FACS
Consultant: 4DMT, Adverum, Allergan, Bausch + Lomb, BioCryst, Chengdu Kanghong, Clearside, EyePoint, Genentech, Janssen, Kodiak, Ocugen, Regenxbio, Sanofi, Zeiss
Independent Research Contractor: 4DMT, Adverum, Allergan, Astellas, EyePoint, Genentech, Janssen, Kodiak, Ocugen, Regeneron, Regenxbio
Stock Options: Ocugen

Planner/Reviewer reports the following relevant financial relationship(s)

Ronald A. Codario, MD, EMBA, FACP, FNLA, RPVI, CHCP
No relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Medical Writer reports the following relevant financial relationship(s)

Erin Sanborn, OTD, OTR/L, CHT
No relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Vindico Medical Education staff report the following relevant financial relationship(s)

No relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Signed disclosures are on file at Vindico Medical Education, Office of Medical Affairs and Compliance.

Unlabeled and Investigational Usage

The audience is advised that this continuing education activity may contain references to unlabeled uses of FDA-approved products or to products not approved by the FDA for use in the United States. The faculty members have been made aware of their obligation to disclose such usage. All activity participants will be informed if any speakers/authors intend to discuss either non–FDA-approved or investigational use of products/devices.

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Copyright Statement

Created and published by Vindico Medical Education, 6900 Grove Road, Building 100, Thorofare, NJ 08086-9447. Telephone: 856-994-9400; Fax: 856-384-6680. Printed in the USA. Copyright © 2026 Vindico Medical Education. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. The material presented at or in any Vindico Medical Education continuing education activity does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Vindico Medical Education. Neither Vindico Medical Education nor the faculty endorse or recommend any techniques, commercial products, or manufacturers. The faculty/authors may discuss the use of materials and/or products that have not yet been approved by the FDA. All readers and continuing education participants should verify all information before treating patients or utilizing any product.

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