December 19, 2014
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Latanoprost may preserve visual field in patients with glaucoma

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The IOP-lowering drug Xalatan may be capable of preserving visual field in patients with open-angle glaucoma, according to results from a randomized, triple-masked, placebo-controlled trial.

The United Kingdom Glaucoma Treatment Study, the first placebo-controlled study to assess the effect of an IOP-lowering treatment on preserving vision, included 516 patients with newly diagnosed glaucoma during a 4-year period.

Patients were randomized to receive Xalatan (latanoprost, Pfizer) 0.005% or placebo eye drops. At baseline, mean IOP was 19.6 mm Hg in the latanoprost group, compared with 20.1 mm Hg in the placebo group. The study’s primary outcome was time to visual field deterioration within 24 months.

By 24 months, patients in the latanoprost group had a mean IOP reduction of 3.8 mm Hg, whereas patients who received placebo had a mean reduction of 0.9 mm Hg.

Results indicated that visual field preservation was significantly longer in the latanoprost group compared with the placebo group, with an adjusted hazard ratio of 0.44, according to the researchers.

Of the 18 serious adverse events reported, none were attributed to treatment, according to the researchers.

Disclosure: Funding for the study was provided by Pfizer and the U.K. National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre.