The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended Santen’s Roclanda for patients suffering from primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and ocular hypertension (OHT). This marks the first time in over 25 years that NICE has reviewed and approved a new treatment for glaucoma.
Approximately 2% of adults aged 40 and older in the UK are affected by POAG, a progressive disease that damages the optic nerve. NICE advises that Roclanda should be used when existing fixed-dose combination (FDC) treatments have not sufficiently lowered intraocular pressure (IOP) or when FDC treatments containing beta-blockers are unsuitable for patients.
Roclanda combines two medications: latanoprost, a prostaglandin analogue, and netarsudil, a rho-kinase inhibitor. This combination lowers IOP by specifically targeting trabecular meshwork (TM) dysfunction, which contributes to increased outflow resistance and elevated IOP. Santen has noted that prior medical therapies did not directly address TM dysfunction.
Nishani Amerasinghe, President of the UK and Éire Glaucoma Society, commented on the significance of Roclanda’s approval, stating, “Evidence shows that addressing both the trabecular and uveoscleral aqueous humor outflow mechanisms is beneficial for controlling IOP in the treatment of POAG and OHT. Having Roclanda available for eligible patients who may not have other effective options represents an important addition to the medical management of glaucoma.”
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