December 15, 2023
ALISO VIEJO, Calif. — Glaukos Corporation announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its New Drug Application (NDA) for a single administration per eye of iDose TR (travoprost intracameral implant) 75 mcg, a prostaglandin analog indicated for the reduction of intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with ocular hypertension (OHT) or open-angle glaucoma (OAG).
iDose TR is a first-of-its-kind, long-duration, intracameral procedural pharmaceutical therapy designed to continuously deliver 24/7 therapeutic levels of a proprietary formulation of travoprost inside the eye for extended periods of time. iDose TR is intended to improve the standard of care by addressing the ubiquitous patient non-compliance issues and chronic side effects associated with topical glaucoma medications.
“With the next generation of procedural pharmaceutical solutions for glaucoma such as iDose TR, we now have a new tool that will confront the standard legacy practice of relying on topical drops, which are known to cause uncomfortable side effects and present a myriad of challenges such as treatment adherence, complex dosing regimens, and difficulty with self-administration,” said John Berdahl, MD, clinician and researcher at Vance Thompson Vision. “The clinical data suggest that iDose TR is not only effective with a favorable safety profile, but it has potential to relieve patients from the burdens of prescription eye drops for an extended period of time. I look forward to adding this novel therapy into my treatment toolbox for the benefit of my patients.”
The FDA approval is based on results from two prospective, randomized, multicenter, double-masked, Phase 3 pivotal trials (GC-010 and GC-012) designed to compare the safety and efficacy of a single administration of one of two iDose TR models with different travoprost release rates (referred to as the fast- and slow-release iDose TR models, respectively) to topical timolol ophthalmic solution, 0.5% BID (twice a day), in reducing IOP in subjects with OAG or OHT.
In total, the Phase 3 trials randomized 1,150 subjects across 89 clinical sites. The FDA approval and Phase 3 data referenced below is for the slow-release iDose TR model, consistent with the company’s NDA submission and commercialization plans.
Both Phase 3 trials successfully achieved the pre-specified primary efficacy endpoints through three months and demonstrated a favorable tolerability and safety profile through 12 months. IOP reductions from baseline over the first three months were 6.6-8.4 mmHg in the iDose TR arm, versus 6.5-7.7 mmHg in the timolol control arm (mmHg range represents IOP reduction means across the six U.S. FDA pre-specified timepoints of 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. at Day 10, Week six and Month three). Based on these outcomes, the FDA concluded in the prescribing information that iDose TR demonstrated non-inferiority to timolol ophthalmic solution in IOP reduction during the first three months. The FDA also noted that subsequently iDose TR did not demonstrate non-inferiority over the next nine months.
At 12 months, 81% of iDose TR subjects were completely free of IOP-lowering topical medications across both trials. In both trials, iDose TR demonstrated excellent tolerability and subject retention with 98% of iDose TR subjects continuing in the trial at 12 months, versus 95% of timolol control subjects. In controlled studies, the most common ocular adverse reactions reported in 2% to 6% of iDose TR patients were increases in IOP, iritis, dry eye, and visual field defects, most of which were mild and transient in nature.
Glaukos intends to commence initial commercial launch activities for iDose TR in the latter part of the first quarter of 2024. Glaukos has established a wholesale acquisition cost for iDose TR of $13,950, per dose (or implant).