Current Pharmacological Concepts in the Treatment of the Retinitis Pigmentosa

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Xiu-Feng Huang1

  • 1The Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, The State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base and Key Laboratory of Vision Science, Ministry of Health, Wenzhou, China. hxfwzmc@163.com.

Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology
|May 4, 2018
PubMed

Insights

This review explores pharmaceutical drugs for retinitis pigmentosa (RP), an inherited retinal disease. It focuses on drug discovery, development, and clinical translation for treating RP patients.

Area of Science:

  • Ophthalmology
  • Genetics
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a group of inherited retinal diseases affecting photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelium.
  • RP affects approximately 1 in 4000 individuals, with over 70 identified causative genes.
  • Currently, no widely recognized treatments can reverse retinal degeneration or restore vision in RP patients.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review pharmaceutical drugs for retinitis pigmentosa (RP).
  • To emphasize drug discovery, development, and clinical translation for RP therapeutics.
  • To provide an overview of current and emerging pharmacotherapies for inherited retinal degenerations.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of scientific publications on RP treatments.
  • Analysis of drug discovery and development processes for retinal diseases.
  • Evaluation of clinical translation strategies for pharmaceutical interventions in RP.

Main Results:

  • Significant advancements in RP therapeutics include gene therapy, pharmacotherapy, cell replacement, neurotrophic factors, and retinal prostheses.
  • Pharmacotherapy represents a key area for developing treatments to slow or halt RP progression.
  • Challenges remain in clinical translation, including drug delivery and efficacy in diverse RP patient populations.

Conclusions:

  • Pharmaceutical drugs offer promising avenues for treating retinitis pigmentosa.
  • Continued research in drug discovery and development is crucial for effective RP therapies.
  • Successful clinical translation of pharmacotherapies could significantly improve vision outcomes for RP patients.
Keywords:
Docosahexaenoic acidLuteinNeurotrophic factor and growth factorPharmacotherapyRetinitis pigmentosaTreatmentValproic acidVitamin A

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