ANI Pharmaceuticals Announces Results from NEW DAY Clinical Trial of ILUVIEN® for Use in Patients with Diabetic Macular Edema (DME)

Core Insights - ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced results from the NEW DAY clinical trial evaluating ILUVIEN for diabetic macular edema (DME) [1][2] - The trial compared the mean number of supplemental aflibercept injections needed in patients treated with ILUVIEN versus those treated with aflibercept [2][3] - The primary endpoint was not met, but secondary endpoints showed a significant reduction in time to first supplemental injection for the ILUVIEN arm [2][4] Study Design and Results - The NEW DAY trial was a multicenter, randomized, active-controlled study involving 306 eyes of treatment-naïve DME patients [8] - Patients were randomized to receive either a single ILUVIEN injection or five monthly aflibercept injections, followed by supplemental injections as needed [2][8] - In the intent-to-treat population, the ILUVIEN arm had a mean of 2.4 supplemental injections compared to 2.5 in the aflibercept arm, which was not statistically significant (p=0.756) [2] - In a post-hoc analysis, the ILUVIEN arm showed a statistically significant reduction in supplemental injections (1.8 vs. 2.5, p=0.029) [3] Secondary Endpoints - The mean time from the last treatment injection to the first supplemental injection was significantly longer in the ILUVIEN arm (185.4 days) compared to the aflibercept arm (132.8 days, p<0.001) [2] - Visual acuity changes showed non-inferiority between the two arms, with a mean change of 1.8 letters in the ILUVIEN arm versus 5.5 letters in the aflibercept arm (p=0.080) [5] - Central subfield thickness changes were also similar, with ILUVIEN showing a mean change of -118.8 µm compared to -113.6 µm for aflibercept (p=0.709) [6] Safety Profile - ILUVIEN was well tolerated, with 41% of patients experiencing treatment-related adverse events, primarily cataracts and increased intraocular pressure [7] - Serious treatment-related adverse events were not reported in either arm [7] - The incidence of intraocular pressure increase was higher in the ILUVIEN arm (16%) compared to the aflibercept arm (3%) [7] Implications for Treatment - The results suggest that ILUVIEN may reduce the treatment burden for patients with DME, potentially supporting its earlier use in clinical practice [4][7] - The study highlights the multifactorial nature of DME and the need for effective treatment options [4]