Developing a new drug therapy for dry eye disease

What is it about?

Lifitegrast is a novel LFA-1 integrin antagonist that inhibits LFA-1/ICAM-1 signaling central to T-cell activation, migration, cytokine release and formation of the immunologic synapse. Chronic T-cell mediated inflammation is a common component of dry eye, an ocular surface disease that leads to symptoms of discomfort and epithelial damage. This review highlights the drug development history of lifitegrast - from bench top to human clinical trials and the regulatory process.

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Why is it important?

Drug development for new pharmacologic treatments for dry eye disease has been historically fraught with failure. Lifitegrast, if approved by regulators, may represent the first new drug treatment introduced for dry eye to potentially treat both signs and symptoms of dry eye disease and demonstrated long-term safety.