Study: Latanoprost safe for long-term treatment of glaucoma, ocular hypertension

Latanoprost appears to be a safe long-term treatment option for patients with glaucoma and ocular hypertension, according to 5-year results from a multinational study.

Ivan Goldberg, MBBS, FRANZCO, FRACS, and colleagues randomly assigned a total of 5,854 patients in 14 countries who had been receiving IOP-lowering therapies other than Xalatan (latanoprost, Pfizer) to receive either once-daily latanoprost or usual care with other commercially available medications. Specifically, 3,936 patients received latanoprost and 1,918 received usual care. Subsequently, the researchers examined the incidence of latanoprost-related adverse events of the cornea, iris and retina, as well as the occurrence of hyperpigmentation, in 6-month intervals for 5 years.

Of the original 3,936 patients who received latanoprost, 2,707 (68.8%) completed the study. In all, a total of 4,638 patients (79.2%) received at least one dose of the drug.

"Because of the length of the study and the numbers involved, some of the patients in the 'usual treatment' group were given latanoprost at some stage," Dr. Goldberg told Ocular Surgery News.

In both study groups, cumulative 5-year risk ratios were 3.17% or less for new occurrences of corneal erosions, iritis, uveitis and macular edema, the authors noted.

Serious adverse drug reactions were reported in 17 patients (0.43%) in the latanoprost group and nine patients (0.47%) in the usual care group.

Overall, 87.6% of patients who received at least one dose of latanoprost had no increased iris pigmentation, according to the study.

"No serious adverse drug reactions were reported in patients with increased iris pigmentation," the authors said.

The study is published in the May/June issue of European Journal of Ophthalmology.