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Title: Olopatadine Relieves Eye Itchiness and Redness in Patients With Allergies: Presented at ARVO
URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/22060E.htm
Doctor's Guide
April 29, 2008

By Micheal Casasnovas

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla -- April 29, 2008 -- Olopatadine hydrochloride ophthalmic solution, 0.2%, relieves itching and redness among patients with allergic conjunctivitis or rhinoconjunctivitis, according to study findings reported here at the Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO 2008).

"Average [patient] daily diary scores for itching and redness were statistically lower in the olopatadine hydrochloride ophthalmic group than [the] vehicle [group] at all time points," said lead author Mark B. Abelson, MD, President, Ophthalmic Research Associates, North Andover, Massachusetts.

Dr. Abelson and colleagues evaluated the safety and efficacy of olopatadine hydrochloride ophthalmic solution in a 6-week, double-masked, vehicle-controlled, parallel-group, multicentre, environmental study. Overall, 144 individuals were randomised to a daily dose of olopatadine and 143 were randomised to a placebo-like vehicle solution.

In a poster presentation here on April 27, Dr. Abelson said his group recruited patients aged 10 years and older who were diagnosed with seasonal allergic conjunctivitis or rhinoconjunctivitis. The subjects were required to show positivity in skin tests for grass and to have ocular responses to grass pollen when administered the Conjunctival Allergen Challenge. Patient enrollment was coordinated around the historical pollen season in each location.

Subjects evaluated ocular itching and redness 3 times each day in a diary. Researchers monitored grass-pollen levels throughout the study. Morning itching in the group receiving the active drug was 0.52 on a scale of 0 to 4 compared with 0.74 among vehicle patients, a difference that achieved statistical significance at the P = .0204 level. The difference in redness also achieved statistical significance (P = .0378) at all time points.

Dr. Abelson said there were no safety issues, nor was there alteration in the safety profile due to the use of contact lenses.

Funding for this study was provided by an unrestricted grant from Alcon Laboratories, Inc.

[Presentation title: Effects of Olopatadine Hydrochloride Ophthalmic Solution, 0.2% (PATADAY) on the Ocular Itching and Redness Associated With Allergic Conjunctivitis or Rhinoconjunctivitis. Abstract 414]

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