Santen Pharmaceutical, a manufacturer of ophthalmic and anti-rheumatic pharmaceuticals, has introduced TAPROS MINI ophthalmic solution 0.0015%, indicated for glaucoma and ocular hypertension.
TAPROS MINI ophthalmic solution contains prostaglandin F2a analogue tafluprost as active ingredient.
The preservative-free TAPROS MINI has the same tafluprost concentration as in TAPROS ophthalmic solution 0.0015% and it provides equivalent intraocular pressure-reducing effect as original TAPROS.
TAPROS ophthalmic solution has been co-developed by Santen Pharmaceutical and Asahi Glass and was launched in 2008.
Santen Pharmaceutical received the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's manufacturing and marketing approval for the company's TAPROS Mini Ophthalmic Solution 0.0015% in January 2013.
The company anticipates that the TAPROS MINI drug will help improve the quality of life of patients by giving health care professionals a wider range of treatment options.
Santen Pharmaceutical is primarily engaged in the ophthalmic field and already markets several types of glaucoma drugs.
The new drug is available at a price of JPY96.9 per 0.3ml bottle.
Currently, prostaglandin F2a analogues have been most commonly prescribed for the treatment of glaucoma and ocular hypertension.
Glaucoma is the major cause of visual impairments such as loss of vision, and if left untreated it may even lead to blindness.
Abnormally elevated intraocular pressure is the most important risk factor for glaucoma and it is characterized by optic nerve damage and progressive visual field loss.