Xalatan receives approval as first-line treatment

PEAPACK, N.J. — Xalatan has received U.S. regulatory approval as a first-line treatment for glaucoma. The drug, which has become the top-selling glaucoma medication since its introduction in 1996, was already approved for use as a second-line treatment in the United States, according to manufacturer Pharmacia.

Xalatan (latanoprost) is now indicated as a first-line treatment for elevated intraocular pressure associated with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension, according to Pharmacia. The first-line indication was granted by the Food and Drug Administration after a review of 5-year safety data on the drug.

With this approval, Xalatan is now indicated as a first-line treatment for treatment of open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension in the United States, Europe and Japan.

Administered once daily, Xalatan is believed to lower intraocular pressure by increasing the rate at which fluid flows out of the eye. The most commonly reported side effects include blurred vision, burning and stinging, redness, foreign body sensation, itching, darkening of eye color and irritation of the cornea.