Method for the treatment and prevention of ocular disorders

1. A method for treating an ocular disease, wherein the disease is selected from the group consisting of dry eye, uveitis and phacoanaphylactic endophthalmitis, comprising administering to a subject in need thereof a therapeutically effective amount of a compound of general formula (I):

wherein: Ak is alkylene;

R 1 is —NR 5 R 6 , in which R 5 and R 6 are each independently hydrogen or straight- or branched-chain alkyl comprising from one to six carbon atoms; or R 5 and R 6 , together with the nitrogen atom to which they are attached, form a saturated or unsaturated heterocyclic ring containing from four to six ring atoms, which ring may optionally contain another heteroatom selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur and may be optionally substituted by from one to four groups which may be the same or different selected from alkyl, hydroxyl, amino, N-alkylamino and N,N-dialkylamino;

R 2 is isobutyl;

R 3 is (E)-2-butenyl-1 or n-butyl;

R 4 is ethyl, 1-hydroxyethyl, isopropyl or n-propyl;

or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein R 5 and R 6 are each independently hydrogen or straight- or branched-chain alkyl comprising from one to six carbon atoms; or R 5 and R 6 , together with the nitrogen atom to which they are attached, form a saturated or unsaturated heterocyclic ring containing from five to six ring atoms, which ring may optionally contain another heteroatom selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur and may be optionally substituted by from one to four alkyl groups which may be the same or different.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein Ak is —(CH 2 ) p —, where p is 1, 2, 3 or 4.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein R 3 is (E)-2-butenyl-1 and R 4 is ethyl.

5. The method of any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein R 1 is N-morpholine or N,N-dimethylamino.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein Ak is (CH 2 ) p and p is two or three; R 1 is —NR 5 R 6 ; R 5 and R 6 , which may be the same or different, are hydrogen or C 1-3 alkyl; or R 5 and R 6 , together with the nitrogen atom to which they are attached, form a saturated or unsaturated heterocyclic ring containing from four to six ring atoms, which ring may optionally contain another heteroatom selected from the group consisting of nitrogen and oxygen and may be optionally substituted by one or two groups which may be the same or different selected from methyl, hydroxyl and dimethylamino; R 2 is isobutyl; R 3 is (E)-2-butenyl-1; and R 4 is ethyl.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the compound of general formula (I) is 3-[2-(N,N-dimethylamino)ethoxy]cyclosporin; 3-[2-(azetidin-1-yl)ethoxy]cyclosporin; 3-[2-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)ethoxy]cyclosporin; 3-[2-(piperidin-1-yl)ethoxy]cyclosporin; 3-[2-(4-methylpiperazin-1-yl)ethoxy]cyclosporin; 3-[2-(morpholin-4-yl)ethoxy]cyclosporin; 3-[2-(2,6-dimethylmorpholin-4-yl)ethoxy]cyclosporin; 3-[2-(3-hydroxypyrrolidin-1-yl)ethoxy]cyclosporin; 3-{2-[(4-dimethylamino)piperidin-1-yl]ethoxy}cyclosporin; 3-[2-(4-hydroxypiperidin-1-yl)ethoxy]cyclosporin; 3-[2-(imidazol-1-yl)ethoxy]cyclosporin; 3-[2-(N-methylamino)ethoxy]cyclosporin; 3-[2-(N-isopropyl-N-methylamino)ethoxy]cyclosporin; or 3-[2-(aminopropoxy)]cyclosporin; or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof.

8. The method for treating an ocular disease according to claim 1 comprising administering to a subject in need thereof (a) a therapeutically effective amount of a compound of general formula (I) as defined in claim 1 , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof; and (b) a second agent effective for the treatment or prevention of the ocular disease.