uf-021 and Macular-Degeneration

Optic nerve and retinal diseases such as glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and retinitis pigmentosa (RP) are significant public health concerns and have a momentous impact on patients' functional status and quality of life. These diseases are among the most common causes of visual impairment worldwide and account for billions of dollars in healthcare expenditures and lost productivity. The importance of adequate treatment of these conditions and the need for efficacious therapeutic drugs cannot be overstated. Unoprostone continues to be developed as a potential treatment for these debilitating diseases.. This review provides background information on unoprostone isopropyl (unoprostone), a prostanoid and synthetic docosanoid approved for the treatment of open-angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension, and recapitulates safety and efficacy data as it relates to this indication. Additionally, this review describes potential new uses of unoprostone as therapy for dry AMD and RP. A literature search of peer-reviewed publications was performed utilizing PubMed. Searches were last updated on 10 September 2012.. Current data indicate that unoprostone does significantly lower intraocular pressure (IOP) and has a favorable safety and tolerability profile. However, the IOP-lowering effects of unoprostone do not compare with other commercially available prostanoids and it has the disadvantage of a twice-daily rather than once-daily dosing regimen. Nonetheless, recent data suggest that unoprostone may improve neuronal survival and increase ocular blood flow, indicating that it may have some value as a therapy for glaucoma, RP and dry AMD. Further studies are needed to confirm whether unoprostone provides any clinically significant advantage over the other commercially available prostanoids.

Topics: Antihypertensive Agents; Dinoprost; Glaucoma, Open-Angle; Humans; Intraocular Pressure; Macular Degeneration; Ocular Hypertension; Retinitis Pigmentosa; Treatment Outcome

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of topical isopropyl unoprostone (IU) in treating macular atrophy in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients.. Fifty-two AMD patients with macular atrophy were included and randomly assigned (1:1) to the treatment (topical 0.15% IU) or placebo group. Subjects used study eye drops 3 times a day for 54 weeks. The macular atrophy was documented on fundus autofluorescence photographs and measured using RegionFinder. The enlargement rate of macular atrophy and the changes in visual acuity were examined statistically between baseline and 54 weeks.. Forty-eight subjects were included in the analyses because 4 subjects withdrew from the study. The differences between the IU and placebo groups in mean and median area of macular atrophy were not statistically significant at baseline. The baseline median lesion size of macular atrophy was 2.33 mm in the IU group and 1.63 mm in the placebo group (P = 0.51). The intergroup difference in the enlargement ratio of macular atrophy (21 ± 15% in the IU group and 111 ± 96% in the placebo group) was statistically significant (P < 0.001). Additionally, visual acuity tended to improve over baseline in the IU group. No serious adverse events were observed.. Topical IU therapy is safe and effective for treating macular atrophy in AMD patients.

Topics: Administration, Topical; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Antihypertensive Agents; Dinoprost; Disease Progression; Double-Blind Method; Female; Fluorescein Angiography; Humans; Macular Degeneration; Male; Middle Aged; Visual Acuity