European Journal of Ophthalmology

To prospectively observe second-line treatment strategies, their clinical outcomes, and treatment costs in patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension (OH) in France.

Patients were recruited between 1998 and 2000 in 37 centers and were followed for up to 2 years. Outcomes were numbers of and reasons for treatment changes, changes in clinical parameters (intraocular pressure [IOP] levels, visual field defects, and optic nerve excavation), and direct medical costs associated with glaucoma management in patients receiving monotherapy or combination therapy. This article reports results of an interim analysis of 1-year follow-up data for patients having at least two contacts with a study ophthalmologist.

Data were analyzed for 283 patients and 549 treated eyes. Ocular hypotensive monotherapy was used as first-line therapy in 92.0% of eyes. Second-line treatment was initiated an average of 3.4 ± 0.5 years after diagnosis, primarily due to insufficient IOP control (62.8%). Mean IOP reductions after 1 year of second-line therapy were 3.0 mmHg in eyes treated with latanoprost monotherapy versus 2.1 mmHg in those receiving beta-blocker monotherapy (p=0.02) and 5.4 mmHg in eyes treated with the latanoprost + timolol combination versus 4.1 mmHg in those receiving combination therapies that did not include latanoprost (p=0.01). Although second-line treatment with latanoprost was more costly than treatment with beta blockers, the average daily cost for latanoprost monotherapy was similar to that for patients who failed beta-blocker monotherapy, and latanoprost + timolol was less costly than therapeutic combinations without latanoprost.

Insufficient IOP control is the main reason for changing first-line treatment in patients with glaucoma or OH. After 1 year, second-line treatment with latanoprost, as monotherapy or combined with timolol, provides superior IOP control at an acceptable cost.

To evaluate persistency (time on initial therapy) and the clinical impact of latanoprost versus beta-blocker monotherapy in treating glaucoma.

This observational, multicenter, retrospective medical chart review study conducted in four European countries included patients with primary open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension who began their first glaucoma treatment with latanoprost or a beta-blocker between November 1996 and November 1998. Persistency and glaucoma-related clinical outcomes data were abstracted for the 2 years following treatment initiation.

In all, 260 patient charts were analyzed (94 latanoprost, 166 beta-blocker). Patients in the latanoprost group stayed on therapy twice as long as those who received a beta-blocker (p<0.0001). After adjusting for baseline characteristics, patients receiving a beta-blocker as initial therapy were 3.8 times more likely to change therapy than those initially treated with latanoprost (p<0.0001). Patients in the latanoprost group also experienced greater mean decreases in intraocular pressure (IOP) than those receiving a beta-blocker (7.4 mmHg versus 4.6 mmHg, respectively; p<0.0001), and fewer had worsened optic nerve head excavation (1.7% versus 14.2%, respectively; p<0.05) by the time of their first therapy change or last study visit, whichever came first.

Over a 2-year period, latanoprost was associated with significantly greater persistency and better clinical IOP outcomes compared with beta-blocker therapy.

To assess the cost-effectiveness of treatment strategies that utilize first-line latanoprost compared to those based on initial beta-blocker therapy in patients with open-angle glaucoma (OAG) or ocular hypertension (OH) in France.

The study was based on a decision-analytic model that was populated with data from a retrospective chart review. A hypothetical cohort of patients newly diagnosed with OAG and/or OH was assessed over a period of 2 and 3 years. For each treatment strategy 10,000 patients were assumed.

First-line latanoprost therapy was significantly more effective than initial treatment with a beta-blocker, providing more days of intraocular pressure (IOP) control primarily due to its longer time until initial treatment failure. Latanoprost's higher acquisition cost was largely offset by reductions in costs associated with surgical procedures. The additional cost for latanoprost was estimated at approximately € 41 and € 27 over 2 and 3 years, respectively. The incremental cost per day of IOP control when latanoprost was used as first-line strategy compared to the first-line beta-blocker strategy was € 0.82 and € 0.36 over 2 and 3 years, respectively.

These results provide compelling evidence that first-line latanoprost therapy can provide superior clinical outcomes at a small additional cost in actual clinical practice.

To evaluate persistency with monotherapy in the treatment of glaucoma in patients new to pharmacological management.

This population-based, retrospective cohort study, using managed care administrative claims data, included patients who were 20 years of age and older and who initiated monotherapy with betaxolol, brimonidine, dorzolamide, latanoprost, or timolol between May 1999 and January 2001. Follow-up continued through January 31, 2001, and prescription refill records for all ocular hypotensive medications were extracted for the full 21-month study period. The primary outcome measures were discontinuation and change (switching/ adding on) of the index ocular hypotensive medication. Rates of discontinuation and discontinuation/change were compared using Cox regression methods; survival curves were generated.

In all, 14,539 patients were prescribed any ocular hypotensive drug during the study period, and 2850 patients met all inclusion criteria. Patients treated with betaxolol, brimonidine, dorzolamide, or timolol were significantly (p<0.05) more likely to discontinue and to discontinue/change the index therapy than were those treated with latanoprost. Results were confirmed in analyses adjusted for age and sex.

Patients initially treated with latanoprost monotherapy are more persistent than those who begin treatment with beta-blockers, brimonidine, or the carbonic anhydrase inhibitor dorzolamide. Greater persistency with an initial ocular hypotensive therapy may improve health outcomes and reduce long-term costs to patients and health plans by limiting the increased resource use associated with discontinuations or changes in therapy.

To analyze quantitative changes in glaucoma treatment strategies between 1997 and 2000 in France.

Numbers of ab externo trabeculectomies and other glaucoma surgeries were extracted from the national database of the French Diagnosis Related Group system, which includes data for both public and private hospitals. Mean lengths of stay and hospital costs were estimated using national cost scales published by the French Ministry of Health. Numbers of patients treated per year with latanoprost, brimonidine, or the fixed combination of dorzolamide + timolol were estimated from drug unit sales using defined daily doses for each drug.

Between 1997 and 2000, the number of patients treated with a glaucoma drug increased from 410,000 to 734,000 patients per year. This increase was associated with the introduction of three new glaucoma drugs: 245,000 patients received latanoprost (71.0%), brimonidine (28.8%), or the fixed combination of dorzolamide + timolol (0.2%). During the same period, the surgery rate in patients receiving medical treatment declined by 47%, from 5.9% to 3.1%. The total number of glaucoma interventions declined by 4.6% (-12% in public hospitals and 0% in private hospitals). This relative stability resulted mostly from a shift from trabeculectomies to other procedures, mainly to new filtering procedures in private hospitals.

Between 1997 and 2000, new glaucoma drugs, primarily latanoprost and brimonidine, improved intraocular pressure control and delayed surgery, reducing the glaucoma procedure rate in patients receiving glaucoma-related medical treatment by 47%.