Abstract
Background
Poor adherence to treatment is a problem in glaucoma, and patient dissatisfaction with topical glaucoma medication is a barrier to adherence. The objective of this study was to evaluate glaucoma patients’ satisfaction with fixed-combination bimatoprost/timolol ophthalmic solution (BTFC).
Methods
This observational, multicenter study was conducted in China in adults with glaucoma treated with BTFC for 1–3 months. Five hundred patients answered a questionnaire concerning their demographic characteristics, history of glaucoma and topical glaucoma treatment, and use of BTFC. The primary endpoint was patient satisfaction with BTFC assessed on a 10-point scale (1= very dissatisfied, 10= very satisfied).
Results
Patients received BTFC alone (65%) or with other treatments (35%), most commonly a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor. Most patients (87%) used BTFC as a replacement for other medication, usually a β-blocker or prostaglandin analog; 13% received BTFC as add-on treatment. Key reasons for initiating BTFC therapy were poor efficacy of previous treatment (72% of patients) and side effects of previous treatment (32% of patients). Most patients agreed or very much agreed that BTFC provided better control of intraocular pressure (85% of patients), had a simpler administration (87% of patients), and was associated with better tolerance and comfort (82% of patients) compared with their previous treatment. Mean satisfaction scores were significantly higher for BTFC than for previous treatments among all patients (7.8 versus 6.0; P<0.0001) and within patient subgroups based on demographic characteristics, pattern of BTFC use, and previous treatment.
Conclusion
Patients were highly satisfied with BTFC used alone or concomitantly with another topical medication. Patients previously treated with a β-blocker, prostaglandin analog, carbonic anhydrase inhibitor, α-adrenergic agonist, or combination of two medications were more satisfied with BTFC than with their previous treatment. Most reported that intraocular pressure control, tolerability, and ease of administration improved with BTFC.
Acknowledgments
This study was sponsored by Allergan plc, Dublin, Ireland. Writing and editorial assistance was provided to the authors by Susan Cheer, PhD, Creative Ink Limited, Queenstown, New Zealand, and funded by Allergan plc. All authors met the ICMJE authorship criteria. Neither honoraria nor payments were made for authorship.
Disclosure
The authors have no proprietary interest in this work. Financial arrangements of the authors with companies whose products may be related to the present report are listed below, as declared by the authors. Dr Xinghuai Sun is a consultant or speaker for Alcon, Allergan, Pfizer, and Santen. Dr Mingkai Lin, Dr Xuanchu Duan, and Dr Chun Zhang have no financial arrangements to disclose. Jian Ming is an employee of Allergan plc. The authors report no other conflicts of interest in this work.