The following is a summary of “Adjunctive use of netarsudil 0.02% in the treatment of refractory glaucoma: a one year analysis,” published in the July 2024 issue of Ophthalmology by Zhou et al.

Researchers conducted a retrospective study assessing the long-term effectiveness of 0.02% netarsudil ophthalmic solution as an adjunctive treatment for reducing intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with refractory glaucoma.

They focus on patients prescribed netarsudil as an adjunctive therapy and who were already on at least 3 topical glaucoma medications (01 January 2018 and 31 August 2020). Of the reviewed records, 47 patients (69 eyes) met the inclusion criteria. Baseline IOPs before netarsudil addition were compared to IOPs recorded at 3, 6, and 12 months. Patients with inadequate follow-up or patients who underwent glaucoma surgery following netarsudil initiation were excluded.

The result showed that baseline IOP was averaged 21 ± 5.8 mmHg, calculated from 2 visits before starting netarsudil. At 3 months, the median IOP for 64 eyes was 16 ± 6.7 mmHg (P<0.01). At 6 months, 56 eyes had a median IOP of 18 ± 4.6 mmHg (P<0.01), while at 12 months, 44 eyes had a median IOP of 15 ± 6.8 mmHg (P<0.01). At the final follow-up, 64% of eyes reached the 1-year follow-up, despite several reasons for incomplete follow-up.

Investigators concluded that netarsudil significantly and consistently lowers IOP in patients with refractory glaucoma, with the most notable reduction observed at 12 months, although some may still need additional surgical interventions.

Source: link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10792-024-03245-z