Agomelatine cuts ocular pressure with glaucoma

(HealthDay)—Oral systemic agomelatine has a hypotensive effect that decreases intraocular pressure (IOP) in both eyes of treatment-resistant primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) patients, according to a study published in the March issue of Ophthalmic & Physiological Optics.

Nicola Pescosolido, M.D., from the Università di Roma La Sapienza, and colleagues studied 10 patients affected by hypertensive POAG treated with multiple hypotensive topical drugs, and under further treatment with agomelatine (25 mg day⁻¹ per os) for psychiatric problems. IOP tonometric values were measured at baseline and after 15 and 30 days of agomelatine supplementation.

The researchers found that oral agomelatine showed a significant hypotonising effect, consistently decreasing IOP by roughly 30 percent of the enrollment value at 15 and 30 days of treatment.

"The hypotonising effect of oral systemic agomelatine at 25 mg day⁻¹ was able to further decrease IOP in both eyes of all enrolled POAG patients in which multiple drug treatment with anti-glaucoma eye drops had no further effect," the authors write.