Fixed-combination and emerging glaucoma therapies

Abstract

Ocular hypotensive agents are the only approved pharmacotherapy for glaucoma. Despite significant advances during the past two decades, a large proportion of glaucoma patients require more than one drug. The most recent additions to the armamentarium of antiglaucoma drugs are fixed-combination products for the glaucoma patient who is insufficiently responsive to monotherapy. Fixed-combination products have the combined efficacy of two ocular hypotensive drugs, and the convenience of a two-drug treatment regimen in a single container, which may aid patient adherence to treatment. Available fixed-combination products consist of timolol 0.5% as an invariant with brimonidine 0.2%, dorzolamide 2%, travoprost 0.004%, latanoprost 0.005% or bimatoprost 0.03%. Research on more advanced antiglaucoma medications continues. Promising new directions appear to be the Rho-kinase inhibitors, microtubule-disrupting agents, serotonergics and cannabimimetics. Efforts continue to improve existing antiglaucoma drugs in an attempt to design second-generation cholinomimetics, adrenergics, prostaglandins and prostamides.

Keywords::

• fixed-combination
• glaucoma
• intraocular pressure
• medical therapy
• ocular hypertension

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank A Ross from Pacific Communications (subcontracted by Allergen, Inc.) for Marketing Information.