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Xalcom more effective than Cosopt, study says
SYDNEY — Xalcom once daily proved more effective for the reduction of IOP than Cosopt twice daily in patients with primary open angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension, according to a study presented in poster form by Robert M. Feldman, MD, here at the 29th International Congress of Ophthalmology meeting.
The primary objective of this study was to compare the difference in diurnal mean intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction between a fixed combination of latanoprost and timolol (Xalcom, Pharmacia) to a fixed combination of dorzolamide and timolol (Cosopt, Merck & Co. Inc.) in patients with elevated IOP.
In 30 eye centers in the United States, 249 patients with primary open angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension were enrolled in a randomized, parallel, investigator masked, multicenter comparison trial of both drugs.
After 3 months of therapy, mean diurnal IOP reduction from baseline was 9.4 ± 0.27 mm Hg for Xalcom and 8.4 ± 0.26 mm Hg for Cosopt. Xalcom recorded a mean difference in IOP reduction of 1 mm Hg versus Cosopt.
Although both drugs were well tolerated and adverse events were similar, three times as many patients who received Cosopt reported eye pain. Additionally, eyes treated with Cosopt had more reported eye irritation than eyes treated with Xalcom.