OBJECTIVES: To evaluate dry eye disease (DED) symptoms and treatment patterns among patients receiving lifitegrast in the United States (US) and Canada.

METHODS: This study included 600 adult patients diagnosed with DED who initiated treatment with lifitegrast ophthalmic solution (index date) on or after 01/01/2017 (US) (550 patients [91.7%]) and 01/01/2018 (Canada) (50 patients [8.3%]). Demographics, treatments, and clinical characteristics were assessed during the 6-month pre-index period and post-index period, defined as time from index date to last known follow-up.

RESULTS: Patients were followed for mean (standard deviation [SD]) 12.3 (5.7) months post-index. Mean (SD) time from DED diagnosis to first lifitegrast prescription was 23.3 (42.7) months. Of the 524 (87.3%) patients remaining on treatment at end of follow-up, mean (SD) treatment duration [by index year] was 28.5 (10.6) months [2017], 15.9 (5.2) months [2018], and 8.8 (2.6) months [2019]. Fewer patients experienced symptoms or used other DED-related therapies after initiating lifitegrast. Pre-index vs. 6-months post-index (n=570), 525 (87.5%) vs. 37 (6.5%) patients experienced eye dryness, 346 (57.7%) vs. 26 (4.6%) blurred vision, 336 (56.0%) vs. 17 (3.0%) ocular burning/stinging, 299 (49.8%) vs. 9 (1.6%) foreign body sensation, and 73 (12.2%) vs. 3 (0.5%) ocular pain. Quality of life symptoms such as fatigue, depression, and headache were reported among 82 (13.7%) vs. 0 (0.0%), 55 (9.2%) vs. 6 (1.1%), and 19 (3.2%) vs. 1 (0.2%) patients, respectively. Pre-index vs. post-index combined with lifitegrast, 453 (75.5%) vs. 271 (45.2%) patients used over-the-counter artificial tears; regarding prescription therapies, 115 (19.2%) vs. 11 (1.8%) used cyclosporine ophthalmic emulsion, 113 (18.8%) vs. 23 (3.8%) topical corticosteroids, and 20 (3.3%) vs. 8 (1.3%) autologous serum tears. 226 (37.7%) patients had lifitegrast monotherapy.

CONCLUSIONS: Patients had improved DED symptoms and quality of life related symptoms, and they had reduced use of concomitant treatments following lifitegrast initiation.