MAUI, HAWAII Two studies have further demonstrated the safety and efficacy of bimatoprost for increased eyelash growth.
The Food and Drug Administration approved bimatoprost for increasing eyelash growth, a side effect of the glaucoma-treating drug that was observed several years ago.
In the first study presented at the annual Hawaii dermatology seminar sponsored by Skin Disease Education Foundation, Dr. David Wirta, an ophthalmologist in private practice in Newport Beach, Calif., and colleagues, conducted a safety analysis of bimatoprost based on the aggregated profile of six double-blind, active-controlled, long-term clinical studies.
Of the 1,459 patients treated with bimatoprost 0.03% once or twice daily for glaucoma, approximately 10% reported side effects that were of mild severity and led to a low study-discontinuation rate. The most commonly reported adverse effects were conjunctival hyperemia, eye pruritus, dry eye, eyelash growth, and skin hyperpigmentation.
In the second study, Dr. Wendy W. Lee and colleagues reported that bimatoprost increased eyelash growth by 2.01 mm in treated eyes, compared with 1.13 mm in controls. The patients reported no change in visual acuity or iris discoloration. The study patients received two vials of gel suspension, one containing bimatoprost and the other containing saline. The vials' contents were each mixed with 1:1 hypromellose solution and labeled "right eye" and "left eye." The suspensions were applied to the lashes once daily, each on the designated eye, for 6 weeks. Lashes were measured with a caliper at enrollment and at 1 and 3 months, according to Dr. Lee, assistant professor of clinical ophthalmology at the University of Miami.
The new indication for bimatoprost 0.03% ophthalmic solution is for "the treatment of hypotrichosis of the eyelashes by increasing their growth including length, thickness, and darkness." It is being marketed as Latisse by Allergan Inc. SDEFand this newspaper are owned by Elsevier.