Are we due for a new class of glaucoma medications?

Did you know? It has been twelve years since there have been any significant additions to our supply of medications for glaucoma. In 1996 Xalatan was introduced, the first of the prostaglandin agents which quickly took over first-line therapy for most glaucoma patients. The prostaglandins simply worked better with fewer side effects than the other medications available.

A new class of medication may be on the horizon. Rho-kinase inhibitors, (ROCK-inhibitors) are molecules which relax smooth muscle, a muscle which is found, among other places, in the drainage system within the eye.

When this drain does not work properly, the pressure within the eye rises, which can lead to damage to the optic nerve within the eye. When this happens, vision can be lost, and we call it glaucoma. Relaxing the mesh-like tissue within this drain can apparently cause pressure to be lowered.

Several pharmaceutical companies are looking into these molecules. Studies in monkeys have shown a larger pressure lowering effect than Xalatan!

Will these studies result in a new class of glaucoma medications? Only time will tell. Ophthalmologists and glaucoma patients could benefit from a new arrow in our quiver!

More information can be found here.

Did you also know? Statin drugs (lipid-lowering agents) such as Lipitor, Zocor and Crestor are also ROCK-inhibitors.