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An interim analysis of patient characteristics and treatment pathways from a retrospective chart review of patients with dry eye disease receiving lifitegrast in the USA and Canada *EXTRA AUTHORS

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First Author: M.Jackson USA

Co Author(s):    J. Katz   J. Hovanesian   A. Syntosi   A. Chan   N. Agashivala   K. Nichols     

Abstract Details

Purpose:

Dry eye disease (DED) is a chronic, multifactorial, inflammatory disease of the ocular surface. Artificial tear (AT) solutions and lid hygiene (LH) techniques only provide temporary relief of symptoms, without addressing the underlying disease. There are limited options for well-tolerated pharmacological agents with a rapid onset of action that effectively reduce objective signs and symptoms of moderate and severe DED. With the approval of lifitegrast for use in DED in the USA (2016) and in Canada (2018), this study aims to assess, in a real-world setting, DED patient characteristics and DED treatment patterns before and after the introduction of lifitegrast.

Setting:

A retrospective, non-comparative, longitudinal cohort study using patient charts obtained through a healthcare provider panel-based review. This interim analysis comprised of 435 patients diagnosed with DED who had initiated treatment with lifitegrast on or after January 1, 2017 (USA) (399 patients [92%]) and January 1, 2018 (Canada) (36 patients [8%]).

Methods:

A total of 384 healthcare providers participated in this study, with each permitted to contribute data of up to five patients. The post-index period was defined as the time from index date to date of last known follow-up, with a minimum of 6-month follow-up. Patient demographics and clinical characteristics during the 6-month pre-index period or at the index date were assessed. Treatment pathway information, including DED-related treatments, were collected during the pre- and post-index periods. Descriptive statistics were calculated using frequencies and proportions for categorical variables, and means and standard deviations (SD) for continuous variables.

Results:

Mean (±SD) age of patients was 56.6 (±12.5) years, 328 (75%) were female, 396 (91%) had evaporative dry eye and 136 (31%) had aqueous-deficient dry eye. Post index, 170 (40%) patients used lifitegrast alone; use of OTC-ATs and LH techniques was recorded to decline by 30% (190 [44%] used OTC-ATs post-index plus lifitegrast) and 24% (121 [28%] patients), respectively; use of prescribed cyclosporine and corticosteroids was recorded to decline by 18% (14 [3%] patients) and 14% (16 [4%] patients), respectively. Post-index, eight patients (2%) switched from lifitegrast to other DED-related treatments.

Conclusions:

In this retrospective cohort study, the majority of DED patients were of working age, female, and displayed evaporative DED. Most patients used various combinations of OTC-ATs, LH techniques, prescribed cyclosporine and prescribed corticosteroids prior to their treatment with lifitegrast. A high proportion of patients were prescribed lifitegrast alone post-index, potentially lessening their burden of treatment and improving their quality of life. Further real-world studies are recommended to fully understand the impact and long-term effectiveness of lifitegrast for DED.

Financial Disclosure:

... is employed by a for-profit company with an interest in the subject of the presentation, ... research is funded, fully or partially, by a company producing, developing or supplying the product or procedure presented, ... receives consulting fees, retainer, or contract payments from a company producing, developing or supplying the product or procedure presented