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  • Povidone-Iodine Plus Dexamethasone for Adenoviral Conjunctivitis

    By Mike Mott
    Selected By: Richard K. Parrish II, MD
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    Journal Highlights

    American Journal of Ophthalmology, October 2018

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    There are currently no approved medi­cations for treating adenoviral conjunc­tivitis. Pepose et al. found a promising option in a topical ophthalmic suspen­sion of povidone-iodine (PVP-I) 0.6% and dexamethasone 0.1%.

    This multicenter, double-masked trial included 144 Indian adult patients with a positive AdenoPlus test. The researchers randomized this cohort to either PVP-I plus dexamethasone (n = 48), PVP-I alone (n = 50), or vehicle (n = 46). The 3 groups were then monitored 3, 6, and 12 days after treatment for both clinical resolution (the absence of watery conjunctival discharge and redness) and virus eradi­cation (negative cell culture assay).

    The proportion of patients with clinical resolution at the day 6 visit was 31.3% in the PVP-I–dexamethasone group, which was significantly higher than that observed in the vehicle group (10.9%) and numerically higher com­pared with PVP-I alone (18.0%). The results for complete eradication of the adenovirus were similar. At day 6, the proportion of patients with a negative cell culture assay was 79.2% after treat­ment with PVP-I plus dexamethasone, significantly higher than with vehicle (56.5%) and numerically higher com­pared with PVP-I alone (62.0%).

    The authors also noted minimal safety concerns with the use of PVP-I plus dexamethasone. Phase 3 studies to further evaluate the safety and efficacy of this treatment are currently underway.

    The original article can be found here.