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Ointment May Ease Contact Lens Discomfort in Dry Eye Disease
Among patients with dry eye disease and contact lens discomfort, an investigational ointment containing selenium sulfide applied twice weekly to the lower eyelid margin reduces the number of enlarged or visible blood vessels there, according to Fiona Stapleton, MD, with University of New South Wales Medicine and Health, in Sydney, Australia, and colleagues.
The Context
- The ointment — known as AZR-MD-001 — is being developed by Azura Ophthalmics for the treatment of dry eye disease. The company has said it plans to seek FDA approval for the drug this year.
- The researchers analyzed the severity of lid telangiectasias in the phase 2 ARIES trial, which included 67 contact lens wearers with meibomian gland dysfunction and symptoms of dry eye disease. Participants were randomly assigned to apply the ointment containing selenium sulfide or vehicle.
- Patients who received AZR-MD-001 had a significant increase in open glands yielding meibum at 3 months compared with those who received vehicle, the study’s primary end point, according to previously reported results. They also were able to extend how long they could wear their contacts comfortably by about 3 hours.
- Safety data from a phase 3 trial of AZR-MD-001 show that 8.7% of the participants who received the drug experienced mild ophthalmic adverse events, and 2.9% experienced moderate ophthalmic adverse events, including superficial punctate keratitis, pain at the site of application, and irritation. No patient discontinued the study because of the drug.
Their Take
“Improvements in telangiectasias after treatment with AZR indicate that the treatment may mitigate downstream inflammatory effects on the lid margin.”
Azura funded the studies, and some of the researchers reported being employees of or consultants for the company.
Do Radiofrequency Treatments Help Tears Linger Longer?
Radiofrequency treatments combined with meibomian gland expression may safely improve tear film stability in refractory meibomian gland dysfunction-related dry eye disease, according to findings from Hoi Ching Pang, from The University of Hong Kong Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, and colleagues.
The Context
- Investigators conducted a double-masked, randomized, sham-controlled trial to assess whether radiofrequency treatment reduces symptoms and signs of dry eye disease in patients who have not responded to conventional therapies.
- In a preliminary analysis of 41 participants, those who received the radiofrequency treatment had significantly better noninvasive keratographic tear breakup time at 3 months compared with participants who received the sham intervention (15.8 seconds vs 7.62 seconds).
- Dry eye symptoms, corneal staining, and meibomian gland function tended to improve with the radiofrequency treatment, relative to the control group, but these outcomes did not reach statistical significance.
Their Take
“Noninvasive radiofrequency treatment of the eyelid is a safe and potentially effective treatment for refractory” dry eye disease associated with meibomian gland dysfunction.
The researchers reported having no relevant financial conflicts of interest.
Peptide Misses Primary End Point Yet May Deliver Fast Relief
ST-100, a collagen mimetic peptide ophthalmic solution, rapidly improved signs and symptoms of dry eye disease in a phase 3 trial despite the study not meeting its primary end point of tear volume, according to an abstract by Jodi Luchs, MD, from Florida Vision Institute in West Palm Beach, Florida, and colleagues.
The Context
- The primary end point – the percentage of participants with a more than 10-mm improvement on the unanesthetized Schirmer’s test from baseline to day 29 – did not significantly differ between participants who received the vehicle control and ST-100, also known as vezocolmitide.
- Corneal fluorescein staining improved with the peptide, however, as did visual analog scale scores for symptoms such as blurred vision, dryness, itching, pain, and burning or stinging.
- At day 2, total corneal staining had improved by 37% vs baseline among patients who received ST-100.
- In the 318-participant trial, 42 adverse events were considered related to treatment (16 with ST-100 and 26 with vehicle), with no serious events and most resolving within 24 hours.
Their Take
“The primary endpoint was not met. But remarkable improvements in multiple key exploratory endpoints emerged.”
Luchs reported being the chief medical officer for Stuart Therapeutics, the company developing ST-100.
This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI. Human editors reviewed this content before publication. The findings discussed come from abstracts and posters submitted to the meeting and may have changed prior to presentation.
