Simbrinza is a combination of brimonidine and brinzolamide.
1. It was FDA approved this week.
2. It is the only beta blocker–free, fixed-combination therapy for glaucoma available in the United States.
3. Simbrinza combines a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor (brinzolamide 1.0%) and an alpha 2 adrenergic receptor agonist (brimonidine tartrate 0.2%) in a single multidose bottle
4. For use 3x per day
5. In clinical trials, the most frequent adverse reactions in the Simbrinza group were blurred vision, eye irritation, dysgeusia (bad taste), dry mouth, and eye allergy, in descending order of incidence. The adverse reactions occurred in approximately 3% to 5% of patients.
6. Approximately 11% of patients receiving the new combination drug discontinued treatment primarily because of adverse reactions.
7. IOP decrease is about 5-9 mmHg from baseline at 3 months
I have no financial interest in the company Alcon (part of Novartis).