Wednesday, November 23, 2022

OMIDENEPAG: Omlonti, Eybelis

 


OMLONTI 0.002% (EYBELIS) eye drops is a new drug approved by FDA recently, for treatment of open angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension.






The drug has been developed jointly by Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and UBE Corporation of Japan.

Omidenepag isopropyl, the active pharmaceutical ingredient in OMLONTI, is a relatively selective prostaglandin EP2 receptor agonist.

It increases aqueous humor drainage through the conventional (or trabecular) and uveoscleral outflow pathways, and the only product of this kind with this pharmacological action.

The FDA approval for OMLONTI was based on data from 12 clinical studies conducted in multiple global locations. Notably, a U.S. Phase 3 study confirmed OMLONTI to be non-inferior to timolol, the standard of care. Two different Phase 3 studies conducted in Japan and Asia showed OMLONTI to be non-inferior to latanoprost, another standard of care.

OMLONTI appears as a clear, colorless solution. It is supplied as a sterile, isotonic, buffered aqueous solution of omidenepag isopropyl with a target pH of 5.8 and an osmolality of approximately 285 mOsmol/kg.

Each mL of OMLONTI contains: 

Active: 0.02 mg of omidenepag isopropyl. Preservative: 0.005% benzalkonium chloride. Inactive ingredients: glycerin, polyoxyl 35 castor oil, sodium citrate, citric acid monohydrate, edetate disodium, sodium hydroxide and/or hydrochloric acid (to adjust pH), and water for injection.

Recommended Dosage:

The recommended dosage is one drop in the affected eye(s) once daily in the evening.

Side effects:

The most common adverse reactions seen with OMLONTI are conjunctival hyperemia (9%), photophobia (5%), vision blurred (4%), dry eye (3%), instillation site pain (3%), eye pain (2%), ocular hyperemia (2%), punctate keratitis (2%), headache (2%), eye irritation (1%), and visual impairment (1%).

The pigmentation change is due to increased melanin content in the melanocytes rather than to an increase in the number of melanocytes. After discontinuation of OMLONTI, pigmentation of the iris is likely to be permanent, while pigmentation of the periorbital tissue and eyelash changes are likely to be reversible.

Iris color change may not be noticeable for several months to years. Typically, the brown pigmentation around the pupil spreads concentrically towards the periphery of the iris and the entire iris or parts of the iris become more brownish.

OMLONTI may gradually change eyelashes and vellus hair in the treated eye. These changes include increased length, thickness, and the number of lashes or hairs. Eyelash changes are usually reversible upon discontinuation of treatment.

OMLONTI can induce ocular inflammation and should be used with caution in patients with active ocular inflammation, including iritis/uveitis.

OMLONTI can induce macular edema. It should be used with caution in aphakic patients, in pseudophakic patients, or in patients with known risk factors for macular edema.

Risk during pregnancy:

There are no available data on the use of OMLONTI in pregnant women. In animal reproduction studies, subcutaneous administration of omidenepag isopropyl to pregnant rabbits throughout the period of organogenesis produced fetal skeletal anomalies at a dose of 24 times the clinical dose, based on estimated plasma Cmax. Omidenepag isopropyl was not teratogenic in rats when administered subcutaneously at 1 mg/kg/day, 2,452 times the clinical dose, based on estimated plasma Cmax.

Risk during lactation:

Systemic exposure to omidenepag following topical ocular administration is low. it is not known whether measurable levels of omidenepag would be present in maternal milk following topical ocular administration. The developmental and health benefits of breastfeeding should be considered along with the mother’s clinical need for OMLONTI and any unknown potential adverse effects on the breast-fed child from OMLONTI.

Effect on male/female fertility:

There are no data on the effects of OMLONTI on human fertility. No impairment of fertility has been reported in animals receiving omidenepag isopropyl subcutaneously at doses up to 2,452 times the clinical dose based on estimated plasma Cmax.

Pediatric Use:

The safety and effectiveness of OMLONTI have not been established in pediatric patients.


Monday, November 14, 2022

ANECORTAVE ACETATE: A novel glaucoma treatment


 

Anecortave acetate (AL-3789) (Alcon Laboratories, Inc.) is a cortisene –a derivative of cortisol.

Anecortave is formulated by replacing the hydroxyl group at carbon 9 of the cortisol molecule with a double bond between carbons 9 and 11 and the addition of an acetate group at carbon 21.

This renders Anecortave devoid of glucocorticoid receptor agonist activity.

Anecortave acetate has two inherent pharmacological activities; it has antiangiogenic properties through inhibition of the angiogenic proteolytic cascade, and it has IOP-lowering activity.



It has been studied mostly in models of neovascular Age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

In these models it is given by posterior juxtascleral depot injection.

The agent has angiostatic activity by inhibition of proteases that degrade the extracellular matrix, thus blocking migration of vascular endothelial cells.

It has no glucocorticoid receptor-mediated biological activity.

Anecortave acetate does not reduce inflammation, elevate IOP, or cause cataracts.

In glaucoma it has been given by anterior juxtascleral depot (AJD). It exerts its effect locally, migrating through sclera over approximately 270°, and acting at the level of the trabecular meshwork (TM) and ciliary body, for a prolonged period.

Robin et al have described the delivery of this medication in the sub-Tenon’s space, creating a circumferential deposition surrounding the limbus. IOP was lowered by 40–50% at 4 weeks in eyes with baseline IOP ranging from 23 to 52 mmHg on a prostaglandin analogue. In six out of seven eyes, Anecortave acetate produced a rapid and substantial reduction in IOP, dropping by 9.5 mmHg after 1 week and by 12.7 mmHg at 4 weeks. This IOP lowering from a single injection lasted for at least 3 months and up to 19 months.

Prata demonstrated at least 30% IOP reduction lasting for at least 3 months after a single injection of Anecortave.

Callanan has also reported good IOP reduction following Anecortave injection. Doses of 12 mg, 24 mg, or 30 mg were given every 4 months.

Landry has also reported more than 30% IOP reduction with this injection.

In a series of steroid-induced glaucoma a rapid and sustained reduction in IOP was demonstrated by 1 week in all patients, and no adverse events were noted. By 1 month, seven of eight had IOP that remained reduced by over 30%.

The mechanism for Anecortave acetate’s IOP lowering is not fully understood at present.

Elevated plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 has been induced in cultured TM cells and found to be inhibited by simultaneous addition of Anecortave desacetate in the culture medium. This suggests the mechanism for this agent’s ability to lower IOP in patients with glaucoma and steroid-induced ocular hypertensive patients.

 

REFERENCES:

Robin AL, Suan EP, Sjaarda RN, Callanan DG, Defaller J; Alcon Anecortave Acetate for IOP Research Team. Reduction of intraocular pressure with anecortave acetate in eyes with ocular steroid injection-related glaucoma. Arch Ophthalmol. 2009 Feb;127(2):173-8. doi: 10.1001/archophthalmol.2008.595. PMID: 19204235.

Stalmans I, Callanan DG, Dirks MS, Moster MR, Robin AL, Van Calster J, Scheib SA, Dickerson JE Jr, Landry TA, Bergamini MV. Treatment of steroid-induced elevated intraocular pressure with anecortave acetate: a randomized clinical trial. J Ocul Pharmacol Ther. 2012 Dec;28(6):559-65. doi: 10.1089/jop.2012.0063. Epub 2012 Aug 3. PMID: 22860637; PMCID: PMC3505827.

T. A. Landry, J. Dickerson, J. C. Merriam; The Use of Anecortave Acetate for Refractory, Complex Glaucoma. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2008;49(13):1206.

Prata TS, Tavares IM, Mello PAA, Tamura CY, Belfort R Jr. Anterior juxtascleral depot of anecortave acetate: intraocular pressure reduction in different types of glaucoma. Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO); abstract 2008 E-1205, poster A47.

Callanan D, Fuller C, Landry TA, Dickerson JE, Bergamini MVW. Prophylactic anecortave acetate in patients with a retisert implant. Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) 2008; abstract 2008 E-5630

 

LIGHT-ACTIVATED LIPOSOMES FOR GLAUCOMA

  Biomedical researchers at Binghamton University in the USA, have developed a mechanism for drug-carrying liposomes that can be activated i...