Safety and Efficacy of AIN457 in Patients With Active Non-infectious Uveitis

This study will assess the safety and efficacy of AIN457 as adjunctive therapy for the treatment of intermediate uveitis, posterior uveitis, or panuveitis requiring systemic immunosuppression.


Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

* Male and female subjects ≥18 years of age. Where relevant, parents will also sign the informed consent according to local laws and regulations
* Patients with diagnosis of chronic non-infectious intermediate uveitis, posterior uveitis or panuveitis in at least one eye
* Evidence of active intermediate, posterior or panuveitis (grade ≥ 2+ vitreous haze with or without the presence of anterior chamber cells) at screening and baseline in at least one eye
* Requirement for any of the following immunosuppressive therapies for the treatment or prevention of uveitis:
* Prednisone or equivalent ≥10 mg daily at any time within the past 3 months.
* ≥1 periocular injection or ≥1 intravitreal corticosteroid injection (e.g. triamcinolone) in the study eye within the past 6 months (the last injection must not have been given 6 weeks prior to screening).
* Treatment with either cyclosporine, tacrolimus, azathioprine, mycophenolate mofetil, mycophenolic acid, methotrexate at any time within the past 3 months (Patients treated with chlorambucil or cyclophosphamide within the past 5 years are ineligible for the study).
* Patients not meeting the above specified criteria for immunosuppressive therapies are eligible for enrollment if they are intolerant to systemic immunosuppressive therapy as determined by the study investigator.
* Patient must be able to understand and communicate with the investigator and comply with the requirements of the study and must give a written, signed and dated informed consent before any study assessment is performed

Exclusion Criteria:

Ocular concomitant conditions/disease

* Patients receiving or that may require prednisone (or equivalent) ≥1.5 mg/kg/day for the treatment of their active uveitis
* Patients with a primary diagnosis of Behcet's disease, anterior uveitis or any intermediate uveitis, posterior uveitis or panuveitis in which the manifestation(s) of the active intraocular inflammatory disease may spontaneously resolve or that are not characterized by the presence of either anterior chamber cells or vitritis (vitreous cell and haze) such as the white dot retino-choroidopathies (i.e. Punctate inner choroidopathy (PIC), acute zonal occult outer retinopathy (AZOOR)
* Patients with infectious uveitis or uveitis of an underlying diagnosis that is uncertain and would reasonably include a disease for which immunosuppression would be contraindicated (e.g. ocular lymphoma)

Ocular treatments

* Treatment with intravitreal anti-VEGF agents administered to the study eye within 3 months prior to screening
* Treatment with fluocinolone acetonide implant in the study eye within the last 3 years, or dexamethasone intravitreal implant and any other investigational corticosteroid implants in the study eye within the last 6 months.
* Intraocular surgery or laser photocoagulation in the study eye within the last 6 weeks prior to screening except for a diagnostic vitreous or aqueous tap with a small-gauge needle
* Ocular disease that would interfere with ocular evaluations (e.g. corneal scarring, cataract, vitreous hemorrhage) or that in the opinion of the investigator would complicate the evaluation of the safety or efficacy of the study treatment (e.g. uncontrolled glaucoma, toxoplasma scar, macular scarring)
* Current use of or likely need for systemic medications known to be toxic to the lens, retina, or optic nerve (e.g., deferoxamine, chloroquine, ethambutol, etc.)

Systemic conditions or treatments

* Any previous treatment with AIN457
* Any systemic biologic therapy (e.g. interferon, infliximab, daclizumab, etanercept, or adalimumab) given intravenously or subcutaneously within 3 months prior to screening. No biologic therapy other than the investigational study treatment will be allowed during the course of the clinical trial
* Any prior treatment with systemic alkylating agents (cyclophosphamide, chlorambucil) within the past 5 years prior to screening
* Treatment with any live or live-attenuated vaccine (including vaccine for varicella-zoster or measles) within 2 months prior to screening. No treatment with live or live-attenuated vaccines will be allowed during the course of the clinical trial

Other protocol-defined inclusion/exclusion criteria may apply