New glaucoma drugs aim to shake up market

Washington, DC-Reuters recently reported on a new wave of drugs in development that it says will shake up glaucoma treatments. When the consumer media is giving your patients direct information about eye care, are you ready to answer their questions?

Reuters reports that the newcomers to the glaucoma market aim to disrupt the current leaders Alcon, Allergan, Pfizer, Baush + Lomb, and Valeant.

“We are finally seeing the dawn of a new generation of glaucoma medications,” says Optometry Times Editorial Advisory Board member Ben Gaddie, OD, FAAO. “The last true new mechanistic class of glaucoma medications was 1996 with the introduction of the prostaglandin analogue, Xalatan (latanoprost, Pfizer). Think about that-there have been three U.S. Presidents in office during that time; six versions of the iPhone introduced; and the birth of text messaging since the last new innovation.”

Related: Rethinking prostaglandin analogs side effects

Among the pharmaceutical companies planning to launch new glaucoma treatments is Aerie Pharmaceuticals. The company began a Phase 3 registration trial in July 2014 for Rhopressa, a novel eye drop described as a triple-action Rho-Kinase (ROCK)/norepinephrine transporter (NET) inhibitor and plans to launch the drug in 2017. Phase 3 registration trials for quadruple-action prostaglandin analog (PGA) Roclatan, a combination of Rhopressa and latanoprost, are expected to begin later this year.

“In addition to Bausch + Lomb’s new drug class of nitric oxide donating prostaglandin analogue (Vesneo, Phase III complete, NDA submission pending to FDA), Aerie Pharmaceuticals is in a race with several other companies to develop the first in class ROCK inhibitors and combination ROCK/PGA medications,” says Dr. Gaddie. “These promising new classes of medications would be a welcome addition to our clinical armamentarium showcasing synergistic mechanisms of action with existing drug classes, hopefully giving doctors more options to keep patients off the operating room table.”

The Reuter’s report also mentions Inotek Pharmaceuticals, which expects to complete late-stage trials for its trabodenoson eye drop by 2017, and Ocular Therapeutix’s travoprost punctal plug.

"It is exciting to have a new class of medication that will work with a different mechanism, and it will change glaucoma management by providing another option," says Optometry Times Editorial Advisory Board member Joseph Sowka, OD, FAAO. "It will be something different in our armamentarium. We don't know that this will be as big as prostaglandins or as well tolerated like some of the other medications. I remember how excited we were about a topical carbonic anhydrase inhibitor coming, thinking that it would have the efficacy of Diamox, but in a better tolerated topical form. Of course, we had to temper our expectations." 

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