New Drug May Be Effective for Contact Lens Infection
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 6, 2023 -- The combination of polihexanide (PHMB) and propamidine is safe and effective for treating the rare sight-threatening eye infection Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK), according to a study recently published in Ophthalmology.
John K.G. Dart, D.M., from Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, and colleagues compared topical PHMB 0.02 percent (0.2 mg/mL) + propamidine 0.1 percent (1 mg/mL) with PHMB 0.08 percent (0.8 mg/mL) + placebo (PHMB 0.08 percent) for AK treatment. The analysis included 127 patients.
The researchers found that the adjusted medical cure rate within 12 months was 86.6 percent (unadjusted, 88.5 percent) for PHMB 0.02 percent + propamidine and 86.7 percent (unadjusted, 84.9 percent) for PHMB 0.08 percent. Results met the noninferiority requirement for PHMB 0.08 percent (adjusted difference, 0.1 percentage point; lower one-sided 95 percent confidence limit, –8.3 percentage points). For both groups, secondary outcomes were similar: median best-corrected visual acuity of 20/20 and an overall treatment failure rate of 13.4 percent, of which 6.3 percent required therapeutic keratoplasty. No serious drug-related adverse events occurred.
"We hope that our new robust findings with polihexanide 0.08 percent will be a game changer for AK treatment, by improving access and the consistency of treatment, addressing currently unmet patient needs," Dart said in a statement.
Several authors disclosed ties to pharmaceutical companies, including SIFI S.p.A., which sponsored and funded the trial.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted December 2023
Read this next
Following Drop After COVID-19 Onset, Inappropriate Antibiotic Prescribing Is Up
WEDNESDAY, May 1, 2024 -- There was an initial decrease in inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions following onset of COVID-19, followed by an increase, according to a study...
Multisite QI Collaborative Increases Appropriate Pediatric Antibiotic Use
MONDAY, April 29, 2024 -- A multisite collaborative increases appropriate antibiotic use for pediatric community-acquired pneumonia, skin and soft tissue infections, and urinary...
Regional Decolonization Aids Multidrug-Resistant Organism-Related Outcomes
MONDAY, April 1, 2024 -- A regional collaborative involving universal decolonization in long-term care facilities and targeted decolonization among hospital patients in contact...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.