Lifitegrast ophthalmic solution 5.0% for treatment of dry eye disease: Overview of clinical trial program

Abstract

Dry eye disease (DED) is a common inflammatory disorder of the ocular surface. Millions of people are affected by DED worldwide. Lifitegrast is a novel drug designed to inhibit DED-associated ocular inflammation. Four clinical trials have shown that lifitegrast is well tolerated and effective in improving symptoms and signs of DED over 12 weeks. A fifth trial showed long-term safety over 1 year. Lifitegrast has been in clinical use for more than one year in the United States and was recently approved in Canada (in December 2017). In this review, we discuss lifitegrast’s novel mechanism of action and provide an overview of its clinical trial program.