RE: New Blepharitis Treatment/Research

[hankm9]

http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/eye/ne...lepharitis.php

http://sydney.edu.au/sydnovate/oppor...ls/14447.shtml

http://m.sightfighter.com.au/news/fo...neal-research/

[Storm]

Lets hope. It sounds good.

[sazy123]

Thanks for this.

Im glad researchers are finely looking into medications for the underlying causes of Prosterior bleph and MGD! rather than just aiming at aqeuous deficiency. There are procedures for MGD aka: lipiflow but these dont address the underlying inflammation.

This comment makes alot of sense:

3.Steroid drops are potent anti-inflammatories but they have numerous ocular side effects including intraocular pressure rise, cataract formation and can cause corneo-scleral melts and do not treat the lipid abnormalities that occur in blepharitis
4.Cyclosporine drops are also an effective anti-inflammatory but like steroids, they do not address the underlying abnormalities in blepharitis

[BigNate]

This eye drop should be coming out "soon" they say. Is anyone familiar with such a process? Are we talking "soon" as in 3 months or "soon" as in the next 10 years?

[hankm9]

////////////

[sazy123]

Soon is prob at least 5 years.

[hankm9]

//////////////

[DCRdryeye]

It's very difficult to enlist a new product on the Australian TGA, it has one of the most stringent list of criteria in the world. In fact, it's rather draconian and they keep a close eye on every minute detail of ingredients in various products. It will take YEARS for new eye treatments to be available in Australia. For eg: Restasis is not listed.
With regards to this new eyedrop 'in development', did you know it's LIPITOR (Atorvastatin) - the cholesterol lowering drug? It was (or still is) one of the highest selling pharmaceutical in the world for cholesterol. But I'll leave you with a thought, regulars on here know about the new ANDROGREN (Testosterone, Progesterone, DHEA) therapy for ATD and MGD (dry eyes). Not only are these products available, but thorough research proves the lacrimal and meibomian glands have androgen receptors and androgens assists in the secretion of tears. CHOLESTEROL MAKE ANDROGENS, by lowering cholesterol with a powerful eyedrop based on Lipitor, ANDROGENS WILL DECREASE. Something to think about.

[hankm9]

////////////

[DCRdryeye]

Yes I was going to mention that. A proper study needs at least 500 people. 10 people wouldn't give one iota of information about the performance of a product. We all know how complex the eye structure and chemistry is and each of those 10 people in the study could have had very different pathologies.

Dry eye is a "niche market". There's millions to be made if the holy grail is found. So it sounds like this group is looking for sponsors, money, etc. Do they 'really' have a passion to help us, or looking to profit? Lipitor Topped Worldwide Drug Sales in 2010, it makes sense to find an alternate route for the drug....how about as an eyedrop?

[hankm9]

///////////

[dominorose]

Any news on this?

Just read this yesterday:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26068735

[waterbee]

This looks promising! 9/10 improved! Will be awaiting any news along with you.

[dominorose]

This looks promising! 9/10 improved! Will be awaiting any news along with you.

I send them an email keeping you posted

[patrick]

Atorvastatin is a cholesterol lowering medicine when taken orally. It's mentioned earlier in this thread.
In case it's administered topically in the eyes it acts as an immunomodulator. i guess it's somewhat similar to cyclosporin eye drops..
Atorvastatin is not available for ophthalmic use at this point,and probably well never become available anyway.
You could give tacrolimus ointment a try though. This is an immunomodulator too and has a very good safety and efficiacy profile.
Moreover,it has been approved for quite some time already for opthalmic use here in europe! You can go to any opthalmologist and discuss if the use of this medicine could be beneficial in your particular case.
If your opthalmologist agrees and allows you to try it,you'll probably initially get a course of a few weeks to see if it has any positive effect on your condition. If so it can be used long term like cyclosporin eye drops. I read in several articles that tacrolimus has surpassed cyclosporin in terms of efficiacy by far. It certainly is worth the try..