Santen Korea said Tuesday that it has confirmed the efficacy of Taflotan in lowering intraocular pressure and inhibiting the progression of glaucoma for a long time, by comparing it with other prostaglandin analogs (PGA).

“The study, dubbed LOTUS, was the first multicenter retrospective cohort research to compare and analyze the long-term effects and safety profile of PGA, the first-line treatment for glaucoma, in Korean patients,” the company said. “We evaluated the progression of visual field defect in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma or normal-tension glaucoma who received first-line treatment with PGA monotherapy, such as latanoprost, travoprost, and Taflotan, from January 2010 to June 2016.”

Based on the electronic medical record (EMR), the company matched gender and age and classified the patient group into primary open-angle glaucoma or normal-tension glaucoma (n=216) and normal-tension glaucoma alone (n=177).

The research team found that the visual field impairment progression rate in the Taflotan-treated group was stable for a long time in the early primary open-angle glaucoma or early normal-tension glaucoma group, confirming that the level was similar to that of latanoprost and travoprost treated groups.

After measuring the change in intraocular pressure after the Taflotan-treated group, researchers also confirmed that the treatment reduced intraocular pressure by -1.89±2.77 mmHg in the primary open-angle glaucoma or normal-tension glaucoma group and by -2.20±2.64 mmHg in the normal-tension glaucoma alone group.

“The patients maintained the decreased intraocular pressure at a stable level for a long time, and the company confirmed the effect between the three PGAs was similar in both patient groups, and there were no serious adverse reactions,” the company said.

Professor Kim Joon-mo of the Department of Ophthalmology at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital also said, “The LOTUS study is significant in that it compared the long-term effect and safety profile of PGA, the most commonly used in the treatment of glaucoma, for the first time in Korea.”

As the study confirmed that the glaucoma progression inhibitory effect of Taflotan alone was the same level as that of the existing PGA in patients with early normal-tension glaucoma, physicians expect that it will help patients preserve their visual field and acuity from an early stage, he added.

Glaucoma is a disease in which the visual field gradually narrows as the optic nerve weakens due to increased intraocular pressure and can lead to blindness.

Hospitals divide glaucoma into two categories -- open-angle glaucoma and angle-closure glaucoma -- depending on whether the drainage channel that controls intraocular pressure is opened. In normal-tension glaucoma, while the intraocular pressure is less than 21 mmHg, which is in the normal range, the optic nerve is fragile and easily damaged, which, in turn, requires active drug treatment.

PGA is a drug line with the highest intraocular pressure-lowering effect among single glaucoma drugs developed so far. As a result, hospitals use the treatment most frequently as a first-line treatment for glaucoma as patients only need to take medicine once a day, which leads to higher patient compliance and has few systemic side effects.

Taflotan is a glaucoma treatment launched in 2010 by Santen Korea and treats patients with open-angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension, including normal-tension glaucoma.