A patient preference comparison of Azarga™ (brinzolamide/timolol fixed combination) vs Cosopt^® (dorzolamide/timolol fixed combination) in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension

Original Research

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Authors: Thomas K Mundorf, Steven H Rauchman, Robert D Williams, Ricardo Notivol, Brinzolamide/Timolol Preference Study Group

Published Date October 2008 Volume 2008:2(3) Pages 623 - 628

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/OPTH.S4088

Thomas K Mundorf¹, Steven H Rauchman², Robert D Williams³, Ricardo Notivol⁴, Brinzolamide/Timolol Preference Study Group⁵

¹Mundorf Eye Center, Charlotte, NC, USA; ²North Valley Eye Medical Group, Mission Hills, CA, USA; ³Taustine Eye Center, Louisville, KY, USA; ⁴Alcon, Barcelona, Spain; ⁵Ophthalmology Clinics, USA

Purpose: To determine patient preference of and ocular discomfort with fixed combination brinzolamide/timolol compared with fixed combination dorzolamide/timolol.

Methods: In a prospective, double-masked, randomized, active-controlled, crossover, multicenter study, patients received 1 drop of brinzolamide/timolol and dorzolamide/timolol in both eyes on consecutive days in random order. Ocular discomfort was rated 1 minute after instillation of each medication, and preference was noted on Day 2. Adverse events, if any, were solicited at each visit.

Results: 127 subjects with ocular hypertension or open-angle glaucoma were included in the intent-to-treat analysis. Of the 106 subjects who expressed a drug preference, 79.2% preferred brinzolamide/timolol (p < 0.0001). Ocular discomfort scores were significantly higher with dorzolamide/timolol than brinzolamide/timolol (2.9 vs 1.4, respectively; p < 0.0001). Significantly more patients reported ocular pain and discomfort after dorzolamide/timolol instillation and transient blurred vision after brinzolamide/timolol instillation.

Conclusions: Patients with ocular hypertension or open-angle glaucoma preferred the brinzolamide/timolol fixed combination over the dorzolamide/timolol fixed combination. This is likely due to the greater ocular discomfort associated with dorzolamide/timolol. The differences in preference, discomfort, and adverse events are likely attributable to formulation differences given the similarities of the active ingredients. Stronger patient preference for brinzolamide/timolol may lead to better therapeutic compliance.

Keywords: brinzolamide/timolol, dorzolamide/timolol, patient preference, ocular discomfort, open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension