title: Cardiac safety of ophthalmic timolol.
abstract: It is generally believed that topical administration of eye drops safeguards against harmful systemic effects. However, about 80% of the drug in the ophthalmic products is systemically absorbed and the first-pass metabolism is avoided. Ophthalmic timolol is widely prescribed in the treatment of glaucoma either alone or in the combination eye drop products, many of which have been launched fairly recently. Ophthalmic timolol may cause serious adverse effects such as symptomatic bradycardia, various conduction disorders in the heart, orthostatic hypotension, syncope and falls. Areas covered: In this review we document a number of factors associated with the properties of ophthalmic timolol and specific features of a patient, which may jeopardize patient's cardiac safety even after topical treatment. Expert opinion: Plasma timolol levels are correlated with cardiovascular adverse effects in patients, since timolol is mainly metabolized by cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) enzyme in the liver. Patients who are lacking the functional CYP2D6 or who are concomitantly using potent CYP2D6 inhibitor drugs (e.g. paroxetine or fluoxetine) or verapamil or other beta-blockers are at risk of getting serious cardiac adverse effects. Prior to treatment initiation, ECG should be always performed and CYP2D6 genotyping should be considered, if routinely available.
authors.affiliation: a AstraZeneca, Research and Development, Patient Safety, Respiratory, Inflammation, Autoimmunity, Infections and Vaccines Therapeutic Area , Gothenburg , Sweden.
authors.forename: Jukka
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mäenpää
authors.affiliation: b Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Biomedicine , University of Oulu , Oulu , Finland.
authors.forename: Olavi
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Pelkonen
mesh_terms: D060433:Administration, Ophthalmic; D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D066126:Cardiotoxicity / Q000209:etiology*; D019389:Cytochrome P-450 CYP2D6 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004347:Drug Interactions; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D009883:Ophthalmic Solutions; D013999:Timolol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics
chemical_list: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D009883:Ophthalmic Solutions; D013999:Timolol; D019389:Cytochrome P-450 CYP2D6
keywords: Beta-blocker; CYP2D6; bradycardia; eye drops; glaucoma; poor metabolizer; selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors; timolol