Week in review: Demodex blepharitis treatment, gender and grand rounds participation, statins and OAG risk

A weekly roundup of ophthalmic news from around the web.

The first treatment for Demodex blepharitis is approved in the US. On June 25, 2023, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved XDEMVY (lotilaner ophthalmology solution 0.25%) as the first treatment that directly targets the mites which cause Demodex blepharitis. In the 6-week Saturn-1 and -2 trials, patients randomized to receive lotilaner ophthalmic solution had significant improvement in eyelid symptoms compared with patients who received vehicle solution; no serious adverse events were reported. HCP Live

Even during virtual grand rounds, women ask fewer questions than men, say researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) who observed 31 UCSF ophthalmology department grand rounds sessions held during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic (April 2020–April 2021). Though 47% of the participants identified as female, they asked only 29% of the questions during the grand rounds sessions. Male attendees asked an average of 3.2 questions per session and female attendees asked an average of 1.3 questions per session. While the authors note the limitations of this single-center cohort study, including the potential oversimplification of the findings, they conclude that “Strategies to encourage equal participation of sex in academic discourse should be encouraged.” JAMA Ophthalmology

Taking statins in the short term doesn't increase the odds of OAG onset. To assess whether statin use has an effect on open-angle glaucoma (OAG) risk, a Japanese case-control study reviewed 2005–2020 data from 1.28 million patients with dyslipidemia aged ≤75 years enrolled in an administrative claims database, half of whom had been prescribed at least 1 statin. No increased risk of OAG was found with either 12 months or 24 months of statin use. Scientific Reports

New warnings are added to TEPEZZA prescribing information. Warnings on hearing impairment/hearing loss have now been added to the TEPEZZA (teprotumumab) US prescribing information on request of the FDA. Postmarketing reports have noted adverse hearing-related events, including tinnitus and Eustachian tube dysfunction. Additional text has also been added to the label’s warning on hyperglycemia. TEPEZZA is approved in the US for the treatment of thyroid eye disease. Ophthalmology Times, Horizon Therapeutics