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Moxifloxacin-dexamethasone combination drug to increase compliance, surgeon says
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PUNTA DEL ESTE, Uruguay — A new combination of corticosteroids and antibiotics promises to increase compliance and efficacy in fighting postoperative infection and inflammation, a surgeon said here.
Rubens Belfort Jr., MD, of the Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil, announced at Subspecialty Day of the Curso Regional Panamericano that a joint venture of Brazilian doctors and the ophthalmology industry developed a new combination drug to be used in daily therapy and to fight postoperative infections.
Vigadexa (Alcon) combines moxifloxacin and dexamethasone and was designed to facilitate compliance after surgery and the treatment of external eye diseases, especially for the elderly, who often already take multiple drugs, Dr. Belfort said.
"Patients sometimes take 12, 14 drugs, so adding another drug is always a problem for them," he explained.
Dr. Belfort said that patients who take multiple drugs can get confused and end up skipping doses of important medications, and this lack of compliance affects therapy results negatively. He said there is also a cost advantage to combination therapy because patients would purchase only one drug instead of two.
In clinical trials at the Federal University of São Paulo, Vigadexa was shown to be as effective as traditional two-medication treatment and was initially registered and approved in Brazil. It has now been registered in 10 other countries where it is awaiting official approval and release.
"We did many clinical trials, and we found no disadvantages in the use of the combined drug. It results in a more effective therapy for the patient and greater assurance for the doctor," Dr. Belfort said.