Emerging drugs for the treatment of glaucoma: a review of phase II & III trials

ABSTRACT

Introduction

Glaucoma is a progressive optic neuropathy and the leading cause of irreversible vision loss. By 2040, the number of individuals with glaucoma is expected to nearly double. The only known modifiable risk factor for glaucoma is intraocular pressure. Topical medications are often used as first-line therapies. Although there are numerous available treatments, there continues to be a need for the development of new medical therapies due to variable response, intolerable side-effect profiles in some patients, and elevated intraocular pressure refractory to other treatments.

Areas covered

This review will cover glaucoma medications currently undergoing phase II and III of drug development.

Expert opinion

There are numerous drugs currently in development that have demonstrated significant and clinically relevant reduction of intraocular pressure. Differentiating factors include improved tolerability, novel mechanisms of action, multiple mechanisms of action, or superior IOP reduction. However, the availability of generic prostaglandin analogs may limit adoption of these novel compounds as first-line agents, except for certain subgroups of glaucoma patients. Use as adjuvant or second-line therapy appears more likely for the majority of glaucoma patients.

KEYWORDS:

• Glaucoma
• glaucoma medications
• intraocular pressure
• episcleral venous pressure
• aqueous suppressant
• QLS-101
• Syl040012
• omidenepag isopropyl
• taprenepag isopropyl
• Sepetaprost
• NCX470
• razuprotafib

Declaration of interest

AJ Sit has received research funding from Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Qlaris Bio, Inc. and has been a consultant for Allergan, Inc., Injectsense, Inc., PolyActiva, Pty, and Qlaris Bio, Inc. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

Reviewer disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

This paper was not funded.