EyeWorld is the official news magazine of the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.
Issue link: https://digital.eyeworld.org/i/137624
70 EW IN OTHER NEWS June 2013 Ophthalmologist's continued from page 68 requests for the Tigers to rearrange their schedule so that other teams could have the benefit of him pitching at their home parks as well. "He drew almost a million fans by himself," Dr. Wilson said. In the 29 games he pitched, almost every one was a sellout. Dr. Wilson said that Mr. Fidrych gained a huge "pop culture icon sta- tus." He was the first athlete on the cover of Rolling Stone. Children and adults alike loved him. "There's never been a player like that since, who was just so popular that everybody loved him," Dr. Wilson said. Despite Mr. Fidrych's popularity, his career did not last long. "The tragedy of it is the next year he got injured," Dr. Wilson said. After try- ing to make a comeback for four or five years, he ended up retiring young. But Dr. Wilson said Mr. Fidrych's retirement embodies part of his appeal as well. He was from a small town and would always tell reporters that he planned to go back to this town when he retired and drive a truck and get a farm. Everyone thought he was crazy. However, Non‐Ocular Adverse Reactions Non‐ocular adverse reactions reported at an incidence of 1 to 4% included headache, hypertension, nausea/vomiting, and sinusitis. BRIEF SUMMARY OF PRESCRIBING INFORMATION INDICATIONS AND USAGE ILEVRO™ Suspension is indicated for the treatment of pain and inflammation associated with cataract surgery. DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION Recommended Dosing One drop of ILEVRO™ Suspension should be applied to the affected eye one-time-daily beginning 1 day prior to cataract surgery, continued on the day of surgery and through the first 2 weeks of the postoperative period. An additional drop should be administered 30 to 120 minutes prior to surgery. Use with Other Topical Ophthalmic Medications ILEVRO™ Suspension may be administered in conjunction with other topical ophthalmic medications such as beta-blockers, carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, alpha-agonists, cycloplegics, and mydriatics. If more than one topical ophthalmic medication is being used, the medicines must be administered at least 5 minutes apart. CONTRAINDICATIONS ILEVRO™ Suspension is contraindicated in patients with previously demonstrated hypersensitivity to any of the ingredients in the formula or to other NSAIDs. WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS Increased Bleeding Time With some nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs including ILEVRO™ Suspension, there exists the potential for increased bleeding time due to interference with thrombocyte aggregation. There have been reports that ocularly applied nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may cause increased bleeding of ocular tissues (including hyphemas) in conjunction with ocular surgery. It is recommended that ILEVRO™ Suspension be used with caution in patients with known bleeding tendencies or who are receiving other medications which may prolong bleeding time. Delayed Healing Topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) including ILEVRO™ Suspension, may slow or delay healing. Topical corticosteroids are also known to slow or delay healing. Concomitant use of topical NSAIDs and topical steroids may increase the potential for healing problems. Corneal Effects Use of topical NSAIDs may result in keratitis. In some susceptible patients, continued use of topical NSAIDs may result in epithelial breakdown, corneal thinning, corneal erosion, corneal ulceration or corneal perforation. These events may be sight threatening. Patients with evidence of corneal epithelial breakdown should immediately discontinue use of topical NSAIDs including ILEVRO™ Suspension and should be closely monitored for corneal health. Postmarketing experience with topical NSAIDs suggests that patients with complicated ocular surgeries, corneal denervation, corneal epithelial defects, diabetes mellitus, ocular surface diseases (e.g., dry eye syndrome), rheumatoid arthritis, or repeat ocular surgeries within a short period of time may be at increased risk for corneal adverse events which may become sight threatening. Topical NSAIDs should be used with caution in these patients. Postmarketing experience with topical NSAIDs also suggests that use more than 1 day prior to surgery or use beyond 14 days post surgery may increase patient risk and severity of corneal adverse events. Contact Lens Wear ILEVRO™ Suspension should not be administered while using contact lenses. ADVERSE REACTIONS Because clinical studies are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical studies of a drug cannot be directly compared to the rates in the clinical studies of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. Ocular Adverse Reactions The most frequently reported ocular adverse reactions following cataract surgery were capsular opacity, decreased visual acuity, foreign body sensation, increased intraocular pressure, and sticky sensation. These events occurred in approximately 5 to 10% of patients. USE IN SPECIFIC POPULATIONS Pregnancy Teratogenic Effects. Pregnancy Category C: Reproduction studies performed with nepafenac in rabbits and rats at oral doses up to 10 mg/kg/day have revealed no evidence of teratogenicity due to nepafenac, despite the induction of maternal toxicity. At this dose, the animal plasma exposure to nepafenac and amfenac was approximately 70 and 630 times human plasma exposure at the recommended human topical ophthalmic dose for rats and 20 and 180 times human plasma exposure for rabbits, respectively. In rats, maternally toxic doses ≥10 mg/kg were associated with dystocia, increased postimplantation loss, reduced fetal weights and growth, and reduced fetal survival. Nepafenac has been shown to cross the placental barrier in rats. There are no adequate and well‐controlled studies in pregnant women. Because animal reproduction studies are not always predictive of human response, ILEVRO™ Suspension should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus. Non‐teratogenic Effects. Because of the known effects of prostaglandin biosynthesis inhibiting drugs on the fetal cardiovascular system (closure of the ductus arteriosus), the use of ILEVRO™ Suspension during late pregnancy should be avoided. Nursing Mothers ILEVRO™ Suspension is excreted in the milk of lactating rats. It is not known whether this drug is excreted in human milk. Because many drugs are excreted in human milk, caution should be exercised when ILEVRO™ Suspension is administered to a nursing woman. Pediatric Use The safety and effectiveness of ILEVRO™ Suspension in pediatric patients below the age of 10 years have not been established. Geriatric Use No overall differences in safety and effectiveness have been observed between elderly and younger patients. NONCLINICAL TOXICOLOGY Carcinogenesis, Mutagenesis, Impairment of Fertility Nepafenac has not been evaluated in long‐term carcinogenicity studies. Increased chromosomal aberrations were observed in Chinese hamster ovary cells exposed in vitro to nepafenac suspension. Nepafenac was not mutagenic in the Ames assay or in the mouse lymphoma forward mutation assay. Oral doses up to 5,000 mg/kg did not result in an increase in the formation of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes in vivo in the mouse micronucleus assay in the bone marrow of mice. Nepafenac did not impair fertility when administered orally to male and female rats at 3 mg/kg. PATIENT COUNSELING INFORMATION Slow or Delayed Healing Patients should be informed of the possibility that slow or delayed healing may occur while using nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Avoiding Contamination of the Product Patients should be instructed to avoid allowing the tip of the dispensing container to contact the eye or surrounding structures because this could cause the tip to become contaminated by common bacteria known to cause ocular infections. Serious damage to the eye and subsequent loss of vision may result from using contaminated solutions. Use of the same bottle for both eyes is not recommended with topical eye drops that are used in association with surgery. Contact Lens Wear ILEVRO™ Suspension should not be administered while wearing contact lenses. Intercurrent Ocular Conditions Patients should be advised that if they develop an intercurrent ocular condition (e.g., trauma, or infection) or have ocular surgery, they should immediately seek their physician's advice concerning the continued use of the multi‐dose container. Concomitant Topical Ocular Therapy If more than one topical ophthalmic medication is being used, the medicines must be administered at least 5 minutes apart. Shake Well Before Use Patients should be instructed to shake well before each use. U.S. Patent Nos. 5,475,034; 6,403,609; and 7,169,767. Other ocular adverse reactions occurring at an incidence of approximately 1 to 5% included conjunctival edema, corneal edema, dry eye, lid margin crusting, ocular discomfort, ocular hyperemia, ocular pain, ocular pruritus, photophobia, tearing and vitreous detachment. Some of these events may be the consequence of the cataract surgical procedure. ALCON LABORATORIES, INC. Fort Worth, Texas 76134 USA © 2013 Novartis 2/13 ILV13030JAD when Mr. Fidrych retired, that's exactly what he did. "He had come from a small town and all of a sudden he was the most popular guy in the whole country," Dr. Wilson said. "Then he lost it all and just went back to being the way he was. He wasn't bitter. He didn't complain. He told people he was happy for the time he had." Sadly, Mr. Fidrych died in an accident in 2009. Dr. Wilson said he did not get to speak with him before he died, but that his death was what sparked Dr. Wilson to choose Mr. Fidrych as the topic for his second book after reading all the comments about him. "The main reason I wrote the book was to bring back the good memories, all the fun he brought to the game, and to let the present generation know about someone who was a good guy and didn't let it go to his head, didn't get in trouble," Dr. Wilson said. In today's society, there are so many stories of scandals and steroid use that Dr. Wilson said it's good to have a reminder of someone who played baseball for the love of it without any of those negatives. Dr. Wilson said while researching his book, he visited Mr. Fidrych's small town in Massachusetts, about 50 miles from Boston, to speak with his sisters and others who had known him. More than a hobby Over time, Dr. Wilson said his writing has morphed into more than a hobby. Being in private practice helps him to balance writing with his ophthalmology work. "As a private practitioner, I have more freedom to arrange my schedule if I need to," he said. It helps to be able to block off time for interviews and to travel, whereas he may not have that flexibility in a larger practice. Dr. Wilson said he mainly likes to write about the "good guys of the game," who are often the antagonists of the modern stories of steroid use. "Unfortunately, the bad things seem to drive book sales." He said it is sometimes hard to find a good subject. Dr. Wilson's next book will be released next year and will focus on Brooks Robinson, the "first big player for the Orioles." EW Contact information Wilson: bmswilson@comcast.net