Credit: Julia Koblitz/Unsplash

Israel’s Azura Ophthalmics announced positive three-month efficacy and safety results from its phase 2b study on its keratolytic eye preparation AZR-MD-001 0.5% in meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD).

The study’s 245 patients were treated with AZR-MD-001 0.5% or vehicle alone to the lower eyelid twice weekly at bedtime. Researchers said meibum quality returned to ‘normal levels’ in 68.7% of patients, 46.9% became asymptomatic (as measured by total Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) responder rate) and 45.7% had at least five more glands opened from baseline of 1.7, as measured by MGYLS responder rate. Auckland University’s Ocular Surface Laboratory, Sydney Eye Hospital, the University of New South Wales’ School of Optometry and Vision Science and the University of Melbourne’s Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences are among the centres evaluating the drug.

Azura said it expects to initiate a second pivotal multi-centre clinical trial of AZR-MD-001 0.5% in 2023.

For more, see https://www.nzoptics.co.nz/articlesearchresults?searchstring=azura