comparison of efficacy and safety of xalatan(r) with generic latanoprost (xalabiost) in patients with glaucoma: a pilot study

purpose: to compare the efficacy and safety of xalatan(r) with generic latanoprost (xalabiost) in glaucoma. methods: in this randomized crossover study, 17 patients with primary open angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension were randomized into 2 groups. group a received xalatan for 6 weeks followed by xalabiost for 10 weeks. group b received xalabiost for 6 weeks which was then crossed over to xalatan for 10 weeks. at the baseline visit and the end of weeks 6 and 16, intraocular pressure (iop) was measured at 9, 12 and 15 o’clock and the patients were asked and examined for adverse effects of the drugs. results: iop at baseline was 20.83±3.34 mmhg in group a and 23.33±6.71 mmhg in group b (p=0.155). after 6 weeks iop (% reduction) was 15.57±3.81 mmhg (24.05%) in group a and 17.62±3.43 mmhg (18.83%) in group b (p=0.373). at the end of week 16, mean iop was 14.26±2.68 mmhg (28.60%) in group a and 16.90±2.74 mmhg (21.11%) in group b (p=0.167). the most common adverse effects with both drugs were hyperemia and itching; although more frequent while receiving xalatan, the difference was not significant. conclusion: in our study, both xalatan and xalabiost decreased iop significantly and similarly, and the incidence of adverse effects was not significantly different between the two drugs.