US biotech company Omeros Corporation has shown its FDA-approved Omidria ophthalmic solution reduces postoperative pain and the need for pain medications, including opioids, in cataract surgery.

In two phase III clinical trials, patients with Omidria added to their irrigation solution during cataract surgery were found to be 50% more likely to be pain-free up to 12 hours after surgery, 50% less likely to have moderate-to-severe pain and 30% less likely to use analgesics, including fentanyl, on the day of surgery. The study, published in Clinical Ophthalmology, involved 60 patients and was led by Professor Eric Donnenfeld from New York University, an Omeros’ shareholding consultant.

Of the 60 patients, 41 were given Omidria and 19 had epinephrine during surgery. Patients in the Omidria group were 6.7 times more likely not to require fentanyl, with 9.8% of Omidria patients requiring fentanyl versus 42.1% of epinephrine patients (P=0.006). Mean visual analog scale (VAS of 0-10) pain scores were also significantly (48.9%) lower in the Omidria group than in the epinephrine group (2.3 vs 4.5; P<0.0001), reported the company.