Open AccessA Water-Free Omega-3 Fatty Acid Eye Drop Formulation for the Treatment of Evaporative Dry Eye Disease: A Prospective, Multicenter Noninterventional Study
Author(s) -
Christina Jacobi,
Simone Angstmann-Mehr,
Anja Lange,
Thomas Kaercher
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
journal of ocular pharmacology and therapeutics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.727
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1557-7732
pISSN - 1080-7683
DOI - 10.1089/jop.2021.0102
Subject(s) - medicine , tolerability , prospective cohort study , ophthalmology , adverse effect , visual acuity , intraocular pressure , clinical trial , artificial tears , visual analogue scale , observational study , surgery
Purpose: NovaTears ® +Omega-3 is a water-free eye drop solution with non-animal-derived omega-3 fatty acids. It allows to supplement omega-3 fatty acids directly in the tear film of patients with dry eye disease (DED). This post-market clinical follow-up (PMCF) study evaluated for the first time the effects on clinical signs and patient symptoms of DED, and safety and tolerability of NovaTears+Omega-3 (0.2%) eye drops, when used in accordance with its approved label. Methods: A prospective, multicenter, single-arm, uncontrolled, open-label observational cohort study was performed in patients suffering from symptoms of evaporative DED. Patients were treated 4 times daily bilaterally according to the instructions for use for 8 weeks, and standard of care clinical end points were assessed at baseline and follow-up. The trial was conducted at 2 investigational sites in Germany, Europe. Results: Thirty-six patients were included and 33 completed the study. NovaTears+Omega-3 (0.2%) showed clinically and statistically significant improvements in various clinical signs, such as total corneal staining, tear film break-up time, and Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) score, as well as in symptoms measured by Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI © ) and visual analog scales over the 8-week treatment period with change from baseline P values all <0.0001. No worsening of any safety parameter (intraocular pressure, slit-lamp examination, visual acuity) was observed, and no adverse event was reported throughout the study. Conclusions: In this observational PMCF study, NovaTears+Omega-3 was safe and well tolerated. Treatment over an 8-week period resulted in significantly improved clinical signs and subjective symptoms in patients with evaporative dry eye. The study was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04521465).