BLOG: Fauxstasis is real! Guinea-pigging it
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Look what my Secret Santa brought me!
One of my patients received a 3-month supply of “Fauxstasis,” literally the first of my many hundreds of patients on an immunomodulator to actually get the “generic Restasis.” Honestly, I was beginning to think that the generic cyclosporine A in a lipid emulsion made by Mylan (now Viatris) was just a legend. The Loch Ness Eye Drop, if you will. But there it was, right here in my office.
Because my patient had subsequently had a prior authorization approved for the “real” Restasis (cyclosporine ophthalmic emulsion 0.05%, Allergan) she’s been taking for many years, she offered her stash of Fauxstasis to anyone who was having trouble getting an immunomodulator. Rather than add the five boxes of Fauxstasis to our back-up supplies, I realized that this was the perfect opportunity to do a test of the efficacy and tolerability of this mystical creation.
I will be a crash test dummy and put myself on Fauxstasis.
Anyone who has read my drivel over the years will remember that I have had a bitter dry eye since my mid-20s. Who knows why. All of my symptoms predated my 1999 LASIK by at least 20 years. I was so excited about Restasis that I stalked my Allergan rep so that I would get Restasis on the first day that it was available; I have been taking it since 2003. To be fair (nod to Letterkenny fans), I am not picking on Fauxstasis by being the SkyVision guinea pig. When Xiidra (lifitegrast ophthalmic solution 5%, Novartis) and Cequa (cyclosporine ophthalmic solution 0.09%, Sun Pharmaceutical) were released, I gave each of them a trial as well. Putting myself on Fauxstasis will give us some sense of what we can expect when long-term Restasis patients are switched from brand to generic. We will still need a few patients who must start on Fauxstasis first to see how it is tolerated there.
Funny, isn’t it? It took Viatris buying Oyster Point to remind me that they are the folks who make Fauxstasis, and like magic, a few boxes of this mysterious medication show up in the office. Coincidence? I think not. I believe in unicorns, fairies, leprechauns, lake-dwelling monsters and Santa Claus. ’Tis the season, after all. It makes perfect sense. I’ll have a follow-up post on how I make out.
In the meantime, I am adding Fauxstasis samples to my Christmas wish list.
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