Fixed-combination and emerging glaucoma therapies.
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.
Woodward
David F
DF
Allergan, Inc., 2525 DuPont Drive, Mail Code RD3-2B, Irvine, CA 92612, USA.
Chen
June
J
D018678:Cholinergic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004338:Drug Combinations; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage
D018678:Cholinergic Agents; D004338:Drug Combinations; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors