Polihexanide + propamidine safe, effective against Acanthamoeba keratitis infection<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter<\/b><\/p>\n
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WEDNESDAY, Dec. 6, 2023 (HealthDay News) — The combination of polihexanide (PHMB) and propamidine is safe and effective for treating the rare sight-threatening eye infection Acanthamoeba<\/em> keratitis (AK), according to a study recently published in\u00a0Ophthalmology<\/em>.<\/p>\n John K.G. Dart, D.M., from Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, and colleagues compared topical PHMB 0.02 percent (0.2 mg\/mL) + propamidine 0.1 percent (1 mg\/mL) with PHMB 0.08 percent (0.8 mg\/mL) + placebo (PHMB 0.08 percent) for AK treatment. The analysis included 127 patients.<\/p>\n The researchers found that the adjusted medical cure rate within 12 months was 86.6 percent (unadjusted, 88.5 percent) for PHMB 0.02 percent + propamidine and 86.7 percent (unadjusted, 84.9 percent) for PHMB 0.08 percent. Results met the noninferiority requirement for PHMB 0.08 percent (adjusted difference, 0.1 percentage point; lower one-sided 95 percent confidence limit, \u00e2\u0080\u00938.3 percentage points). For both groups, secondary outcomes were similar: median best-corrected visual acuity of 20\/20 and an overall treatment failure rate of 13.4 percent, of which 6.3 percent required therapeutic keratoplasty. No serious drug-related adverse events occurred.<\/p>\n “We hope that our new robust findings with polihexanide 0.08 percent will be a game changer for AK treatment, by improving access and the consistency of treatment, addressing currently unmet patient needs,” Dart said in a statement.<\/p>\n Several authors disclosed ties to pharmaceutical companies, including SIFI S.p.A., which sponsored and funded the trial.<\/p>\n