A pooled analysis of data from two Phase 3 clinical trials, GOBI and MOJAVE, indicates that perfluorohexyloctane ophthalmic solution is effective in treating dry eye disease (DED) associated with Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). The study, published in Frontiers in Ophthalmology, evaluated the treatment's impact on a broad range of patients, considering factors like sex, age, and baseline disease severity.
The analysis included 1217 patients aged 18 years or older with DED, who were administered either perfluorohexyloctane (n=614) or a hypotonic (0.6%) saline control (n=603) four times daily for eight weeks. The primary endpoints were total corneal fluorescein staining (tCFS) score and eye dryness visual analog scale (VAS) score.
Significant Improvements in DED Symptoms and Signs
The results demonstrated that perfluorohexyloctane led to greater reductions in both tCFS and VAS eye dryness scores compared to the control group. Specifically, the least-squares mean treatment difference in the overall patient population was -1.1 (95% CI: -1.41 to -0.79; P<0.0001) for tCFS and -9.0 (95% CI: -11.90 to -6.00; P<0.0001) for VAS eye dryness.
Efficacy Across Patient Subgroups
Subgroup analyses further revealed that perfluorohexyloctane was favored over the control in all evaluated patient subgroups, including those stratified by sex, age (older [≥65 years] and younger [18 to <65 years]), and baseline severity based on tCFS score, VAS eye dryness score, MGD score, and Schirmer I test results. This suggests the treatment is broadly effective regardless of demographic or disease characteristics.
Safety Profile
The most common adverse event reported with perfluorohexyloctane was blurred vision, affecting 2.1% of patients. However, these events were generally mild and transient, indicating a favorable safety profile for the ophthalmic solution.
Implications for DED Treatment
These findings suggest that perfluorohexyloctane ophthalmic solution could be a valuable treatment option for patients with DED, particularly those with tear film evaporation issues related to MGD. The study highlights the potential of this treatment to improve both the signs and symptoms of DED, even in patients with more severe self-reported eye dryness.
