Drugs Flashcards
(38 cards)
Can oral therapeutic agents and topical glaucoma therapy be prescribed in Massachusetts
Yes, since 2021 MA can only prescribe class 4 and 5
Which state excludes oral therapies from being prescribed by optometrists
NY
Routes of ocular injections

Roll of excipients/vehicles in ocular medication
Stabilize pH
Tonicity
Viscosity
What is an emolient
Softens tissue
Prevent drying and cracking
Mineral oil, petrolatum
What is a Demulcent
Protect/lubricate mucous membranes, mimics mucins
Cellulose derivatives:
Hydrogels
Polymeric viscosity agents
Polyols:
PEG
Glycerin
Gelatin
Povidone
PG
PVA
What is an Emulsifyer
Keeps solids well dispersed in liquids
egGellan gum
What is an Astringent
Precipitates proteins, clears mucous
eg Zinc sulhate
What do Buffers do
Stabilize pH:pH 8.5 is most comfortable for dry eye px
eg Borate
Sodium citrate
What is a surfactant/mucolytic
a substance which tends to reduce the surface tension of a liquid in which it is dissolved
Breaks down mucous
eg Tyloxapol
What are viscosity modifiers
Affect viscosity of a drop thereby retention time on ocular surface
eg Polyacrylic acid (Durasite)
What do osmoprotectants do
Reduce high osmolarity, absorbed by dehydrated cells
eg Erythritol
L-carnitine
What do stabilizers do
Prevent drug from being broken down
Gellan gum
What do tonicity stabilizers do
Deliver a physiologic for of salt level such as physiologic saline
eg KCl
CaCl
MgCl
What are humectants
Promote hydration
eg hyaluronic acid
Which class of drug do cap colours indicate
Yellow- Beta blockers
Dark blue- Beta blocker combo
Red- mydriatics & cycloplegics
Dark green- Miotics
Orange- Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors
Gray- NSAIDs
Pink- Steroidal anti-inflammatories
Tan- anti-infectives
Teal- Prostaglandin analogues
Purple- Adrenergic agonists
Ocular derug delivery devices

Improvised topical delivery
- Morgan lens ocular irrigation system
Used to irrigate the ocular surface when the patient gets a ocular surface burn or other injury that
has a saline bag and contact lens like end to cover the ocular surface and keep it moist
Ophthalmic drops: the problem
- In the eye care arena, topical application of therapeutic agents in 50-70ul drops supersedes all other routes of drug delivery
- Readily accepted by patients but this method has long been subject to rapid pre-corneal drug loss (90%) and increasing risks of ocular surface toxicity and systemic toxicity with continued dosing
- To improve ocular drug bioavailability, reduce toxicity and enhance therapeutic outcomes, development of new drug delivery systems for ophthalmic administration continues to be a topic of immense attention in big pharma
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- Combined efforts to reduce dosing requirements and enhance drug absorption with deliverysystems that release micro-doses show great promise
Lotemax SM Gel 0.38%
Submicron particle size for faster drug dissolution in tears
2X greater penetration to aqueous humor vs Lotemax gel 0.5%
Gels have lowest BAK 0.003% concentration in Lotemax family
difficulty with absorption of drugs:
- The body is surrounded by boundary tissues that prevent foreign matter from penetrating
- The mucus that coats these tissues – the eyes, lungs, cervical/vaginal tract and GI tract – serve as a protective barrier to trap and eliminate particulate matter such as viruses, bacteria and allergens, before these agents can enter the underlying tissues and cause infection or elicit reactions. However, in playing this pivotal role of protection, mucus may also hinder medical treatments by limiting the penetration to mucus-protected tissues, thereby reducing their therapeutic effect
- Mucus can interfere with the ability of drugs to reach ophthalmic tissue
- The tear film protecting the eye’s surface can trap and eliminate traditional suspension eyedrops as the eyelid blinks. This process can limit the penetration of drugs to target ocular tissue when treating conditions in the front of the eyes, such as dry eye disease and post-operative inflammation and pain
- Traditional suspension eye drops adhere to mucins and can be rapidly cleared through blinking
- Novel technologies to circumvent this barrier are an important advance in delivering therapeutic agents to the target tissue. The company Kala looked to nature for inspiration and found a dense, net neutral and hydrophilic coating of viruses which minimizes interaction within the mucosal barrier and increases transport to underlying tissue
EYENOVIA® microdose technologies
- Piezostatic microdose therapeutics is based upon piezo ejection technology used by many popular inkjet printers
- Using piezo-print technology, ejected drops are micro-ionized and charged for smooth application and high ocular adhesion
-
- The OptejetTM dispenser offers unprecedented precision, providing smooth, gentle application to the ocular surface of drops as small as 7ul
-
- “Smart” technology permits dose tracking history
- Could be an up and coming therapy to provide small dosing of therapeutics, tracking doses to smart phone.
- Microstat is a dispenser that distributes 2.5% phenylephrine and 1% Tropicamide to the ocular surface for dilation
MediprintTM Medicated contact lens
Mediprint claims they will initially develop, clinically test and commercialize drug-eluting, comfort-
enhancing contact lenses to treat millions of patients worldwide suffering from glaucoma, dry eye and
ocular allergies