FDA approves treatment for demodex blepharitis

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Xdemvy for the treatment of demodex blepharitis.

The approval of the drug, which is manufactured by Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, follows two trials involving 833 patients to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Xdemvy.

There was a significant improvement in the condition of eyelids at the end of the six-week study period following twice-daily application of Xdemvy.

Chief executive of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Dr Bobak Azamian, shared that the company is “honoured” to have developed the first and only FDA-approved therapeutic for demodex blepharitis.

“We are thrilled to announce the FDA approval of Xdemvy for the treatment of demodex blepharitis and look forward to making this product broadly available,” he said.

The clinical trials found that Xdemvy was generally well-tolerated by patients. The most common ocular adverse reaction was burning or stinging at the instillation site – which was reported in 10% of patients.

Reactions reported in less than 2% of patients included the development of a stye and punctate keratitis.