Advice

following a full submission:

tafluprost preservative-free eye drops (Saflutan) are accepted for restricted use within NHS Scotland for the reduction of elevated intraocular pressure in open angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension - as monotherapy: in patients who would benefit from preservative-free eye-drops, who are insufficiently responsive to first-line therapy, or who are intolerant or contraindicated to first-line therapy - or as adjunctive therapy to beta-blockers.

Tafluprost is restricted to use in patients who cannot tolerate currently available prostaglandin preparations due to proven sensitivity to the preservative benzalkonium chloride.

Preservative-free tafluprost has shown equivalence to a formulation of tafluprost with preservative in lowering intraocular pressure. The adverse event profile was similar for both formulations. The formulation of tafluprost with preservative has shown non-inferiority to a beta-blocker but failed to demonstrate non-inferiority to a prostaglandin comparator in a prespecified primary analysis. Saflutan is the only preservative-free prostaglandin eye drop available

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Medicine details

Medicine name:
tafluprost (Saflutan)
SMC ID:
581/09
Indication:
For the reduction of elevated intraocular pressure in open angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension
Pharmaceutical company
MSD
BNF chapter
Eye
Submission type
Full
Status
Restricted
Date advice published
07 December 2009