Travoprost approved as first-line IOP therapy

Huenenberg, Switzerland-The FDA has approved once-daily travoprost ophthalmic solution 0.004% prescription eye drops (Travatan Z, Alcon Laboratories) as first-line treatment of elevated IOP associated with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension.

“The FDA approval for first-line use of [travoprost] solution will allow eye-care professionals to start [treating patients with] newly diagnosed glaucoma and ocular hypertension . . . with a product that is already well-received in the marketplace because of its efficacy and safety,” said Stuart Raetzman, Alcon’s vice president of global marketing and area president for the United States. “This approval also means that [travoprost] will be the first and only prostaglandin analogue approved by the FDA for first-line treatment of glaucoma patients that does not contain the preservative benzalkonium chloride.”

The company developed travoprost with a proprietary ionic-buffered preservative system (sofZia). The ophthalmic solution was introduced in the United States in 2006.