Change in intraocular pressure during long-term use of loteprednol etabonate

Loteprednol etabonate is a novel site-active corticosteroid synthesized through structural modifications of prednisolone-related compounds so that it will undergo a predictable transformation to an inactive metabolite. In double-masked studies, loteprednol etabonate was effective in the treatment of giant papillary conjunctivitis, seasonal allergic conjunctivitis, postoperative inflammation, and uveitis. The objective of this analysis was to determine the incidence of clinically significant elevations in intraocular pressure (IOP) with long-term use of loteprednol etabonate.

All subjects (healthy volunteers or patients with inflammation or allergy) in all sponsored loteprednol etabonate studies in the United States were evaluated. A clinically significant elevation in IOP was defined as > or = 10 mmHg at any visit, and long-term use was defined as > or = 28 days. Of the 2,210 subjects, 1,648 were treated for 28 days or longer with loteprednol etabonate (0.2% or 0.5%), prednisolone acetate 1%, or vehicle.

IOP elevation > or = 10 mmHg occurred in 1.7% (15/901) of patients taking long-term loteprednol etabonate, 0.5% (3/583) of those taking vehicle, and 6.7% (11/164) of those taking prednisolone acetate. Excluding patients who wore contact lenses, the incidence was 0.6% (4/624), 1.0% (3/304), and 6.7% (11/164) for loteprednol etabonate, vehicle, and prednisolone acetate, respectively. The incidence of IOP elevations with 0.2% loteprednol etabonate was 0.8% (1/133), similar to that for vehicle (0.7%, 1/135).

The results of this analysis in a large population of subjects undergoing long-term therapy and of a previously published controlled, double-masked study in corticosteroid responders suggest that loteprednol etabonate has less propensity to cause clinically significant elevations in IOP than prednisolone acetate.