Biological agents for the treatment of uveitis

Introduction: The conventional treatment of uveitis includes corticosteroids and immunosuppressive agents, which are highly efficacious, but can be associated with serious systemic side effects. Over the last two decades, advances in the understanding of the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases, as well as improved biotechnology, have enabled selective targeting of the chemical mediators of diseases. Recently, a new class of drugs called biologics, that target the various mediators of the inflammation cascade, may potentially provide more effective and less toxic treatment. Areas covered: This article is a review and summary of the peer-reviewed evidence for biologic agents in the treatment of various forms of ocular inflammation and it focuses on the potential use of other biologic agents that have been tested in experimental autoimmune uveitis. Pubmed was used as our main tool for our literature search. Some additional references were taken from books written on the subject. Expert opinion: There are a wide variety of new and emerging biological agents currently being used in the treatment of uveitis which has expanded the therapeutic horizons far beyond previous limitations.