Physician Satisfaction with Anti-Inflammatory Topical Medications for the Treatment of Dry Eye Disease

Abstract

Purpose

Dry eye disease (DED) is one of the most common ophthalmic disorders. Pathogenesis of the disease includes inflammation of the ocular surface and lacrimal gland. Two anti-inflammatory prescription treatments are currently available: cyclosporine ophthalmic emulsion 0.05% (CYC) and lifitegrast 5% ophthalmic solution (LIF). The objective of this survey-based study was to assess physician satisfaction with CYC and LIF for the treatment of DED.

Methods

Physicians currently treating DED patients with CYC or LIF were asked to rate the experiences of their patients currently or formerly using CYC and LIF, and their own perspectives on the two treatments.

Results

Twenty-one physicians participated in the survey, providing responses on behalf of 210 patients. Overall, physicians reported low levels of satisfaction with onset of action of CYC and LIF, and fewer than half considered either drug to be effective in managing symptoms or improving patient quality of life (QoL). Burning sensation and dysgeusia were the most frequently reported side effects. Onset of action and effectiveness after onset were the main switching drivers. Although two-thirds of physicians were satisfied with the overall effectiveness of CYC and LIF, all physicians agreed that more DED treatment options are needed, with >50% strongly agreeing.

Conclusion

Physicians perceived a gap in DED management with currently available topical anti-inflammatory agents. Although satisfaction with CYC and LIF was high, few physicians considered these medications to be effective in managing symptoms or improving QoL.

Keywords:

• physician satisfaction
• dry eye disease
• cyclosporine
• lifitegrast
• ocular surface

Acknowledgment

This paper was presented at the American Academy of Optometry (AAOPT) 98th Annual Meeting as a poster presentation with interim findings. The poster’s abstract was published on the website of the AAOPT: www.aaopt.org/detail/knowledge-base-article/physician-satisfaction-with-anti-inflammatory-topical-medications-for-the-treatment-of-dry-eye-disease-339197-3238632. The authors thank Alan Pedder, MSc, for writing assistance.

Disclosure

All authors were either clinical trial investigators or researchers sponsored or employed by Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Inc. Dr Darrell White reports personal fees from Sun Pharmaceutical, personal fees from Allergan, personal fees from Takeda/Novartis, outside the submitted work. The authors report no other conflicts of interest in this work.

Additional information

Funding

This study was sponsored by Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Inc. (Princeton, NJ, USA).