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