What is Roclatan?
It’s a drop used once daily to lower IOP and it’s a combo of two drugs, latanoprost and Rhopressa. You’ve heard a lot about Rhopressa recently because it just received FDA approval at the end of 2017.
Remind me, how does Rhopressa work?
The main buzz word you will hear is that it’s a ROCK inhibitor. Rock inhibitors increase outflow through the trabecular meshwork by inhibiting Rho Kinase (ROCK). Rhopressa is also presumed to work via two other mechanisms:
— It reduces fluid production in the eye by inhibiting the norepinephrine transporter (NET Inhibitor).
— It lowers episcleral venous pressure.
Latanoprost is a prostaglandin analog (which works by increasing uveoscleral outflow) and prostaglandin analogs remain the first line treatment for most glaucoma patients.
So Rhopressa + latanoprost = Roclatan could be a big deal. The clinical studies have shown Roclatan to be superior at lowering IOP than Rhopressa or latanoprost alone (study highlights here).
When might this be approved?
The FDA is reviewing the new drug application but the review is expected to be completed in March 2019.
