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. 2024 Aug 22;19(8):e0307132. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0307132

One-year experience with latanoprostene bunod ophthalmic solution 0.024% in clinical practice: A retrospective observational study

Chun-Mei Hsueh 1,2, Chen-Hsin Tsai 1,2, Jou-Chen Huang 1,2, Si-Huei Lee 1,2, Tsung-Jen Wang 1,2, Siao-Pei Guo 1,2,*
Editor: Natasha Gautam3
PMCID: PMC11341023  PMID: 39173013

Abstract

Purpose

We evaluated the IOP-lowering efficacy and safety of latanoprostene bunod (LBN) ophthalmic solution 0.024% (Vyzulta®), the first topical nitric oxide-donating prostaglandin analog (PGA), in clinical practice.

Materials and methods

A retrospective medical chart review from July 2021 to July 2023 of patients with open-angle glaucoma receiving LBN with at least 1 year follow–up was conducted. All included patients received LBN 0.024% as a replacement for a PGA, with examinations at 1-, 3-, 6-and 12-months follow-up. Main outcome measures were IOP, retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, visual fields before/after LBN use and adverse effects. Subgroup analysis with glaucoma types and PGA use were performed for additional IOP reduction after LBN use.

Results

Among 78 included patients, 47 patients (81 eyes), 60% with open-angle glaucoma (OAG) remained on LBN throughout 12-month follow-up. Baseline IOP was 18.2±4.2 mm Hg, and Prostaglandin analog (PGA)-IOP was 14.4 ± 3.0 mm Hg (21% mean IOP reduction). After switched to LBN, mean additional IOP reduction was 1.0 mm Hg at month 1, and the greatest reduction was 1.6 mm Hg (8.8% additional mean IOP reduction) at month 12 (P<0.0001). Subgroup analysis (NTG, 73%) showed that mean additional IOP reduction at month 12 was 1.3±2.0 mm Hg in NTG group and 2.1±3.2 mm Hg in POAG group (7.7% vs. 8.7% additional IOP reduction rates, P = 0.23). Subgroup analysis of PGA use at month 12 was 1.8±2.3 mm Hg in tafluoprost group and 0.5±1.7 mm Hg in travoprost group (9.5% vs.2.6% additional IOP reduction rates, P = 0.02). Tolerable ocular adverse effects included irritation (n = 16, 19.8%), mild conjunctival hyperemia (n = 11, 13.6%), dark circles (n = 4, 4.9%) and blurred vision (n = 2, 2.5%). There were no significant visual field and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness changes after 12 months of treatment with LBN 0.024%.

Conclusions

Although high intolerable adverse effects including conjunctival hyperemia and eye irritation happened in the first month, remaining sixty percent of patients exhibited statistically significant additional IOP reductions in the replacement of other PGAs during 12 months of clinical use of LBN 0.024%.

Introduction

Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness. The prevalence of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) in Asian populations is between 1.0% and 3.9%, and normal tension glaucoma (NTG) comprises the majority (46.9%-92%) of open-angle glaucoma (OAG) in Asian epidemiologic studies, whereas the calculated mean proportion of NTG is 33.7% in white populations [1]. IOP is an important risk factor for glaucoma progression. The Early Manifest Glaucoma Trial showed that every 1mmHg reduction in IOP yielded a 10% reduction in the risk of visual field progression [2]. Two main classes of topical ocular hypotensive agents are used commonly for the treatment of OAG or ocular hypertension (OHT). The first class includes beta-adrenergic receptor antagonists, carbonic anhydrase inhibitors and alpha-adrenergic receptor agonists, which lower IOP by reducing aqueous humor production. The other class of ocular hypotensive agents is prostaglandin analogs, including latanoprost, which increase aqueous humor outflow facilities through uveoscleral routes and possibly by trabecular meshwork. To date, pharmacologic reduction of IOP has remained the standard initial treatment of OAG or OHT [3].

Latanoprostene bunod (LBN) 0.024% (trade name, Vyzulta®) is a new IOP-lowering eye drop approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in November 2017. LBN is a dual-mechanism, dual-pathway molecule, consisting of latanoprost acid, which is known to enhance uveoscleral outflow (unconventional outflow pathway) by upregulating matrix metalloproteinase expression and remodeling the extracellular matrix of the ciliary muscle; it is linked to an NO-donating moiety, which enhances trabecular meshwork/Schlemm’s canal (conventional) outflow by inducing cytoskeletal relaxation via the soluble guanylyl cyclase-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (sGC-cGMP) signaling pathway. Both latanoprost and NO are known to reduce IOP in humans [4]. In phase 3 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), APOLLO [5] and LUNAR [6],LBN delivered a 32% mean IOP reduction and up to 9 mmHg reduction from baseline in patients with open-angle glaucoma (OAG) and ocular hypertension (OHT); it also provided greater IOP-lowering ability compared with timolol 0.5% twice-a-day and maintained the reduced IOP through 12 months [7]. In the Jupiter study [8], LBN reduced the mean IOP 5.3 mmHg (25%) in patients with normal tension glaucoma (NTG) after 1 year treatment.

In a meta-analysis of the short-term efficacy of LBN for treatment OAG and OHT, LBN 0.024% solution revealed greater IOP-lowering effect than latanoprost and travoprost and was similar to the effects of bimatoprost 0.01%. LBN demonstrated a safety profile comparable to that of conventional PGAs [9]. The real-world impact of LBN 0.024% in the replacement of other PGAs and effects in the visual field and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness preservation have rarely been investigated. So we conducted a retrospective chart review study to evaluate the IOP-lowering efficacy and safety of LBN 0.024% in the replacement of other PGAs with at least 12 months follow-up.

Materials and methods

Data were retrospectively collected from electronic medical records from July 2021 to July 2023 of Taipei Medical University Hospital since September 2023. Inclusion criteria were patients aged 18 years or older with OAG (including NTG) who received PGA treatment, had best-corrected visual acuity of 20/40 or better, eyes had open angles on gonioscopic examination. OAG was defined as an eye with glaucomatous optic nerve head change and corresponding glaucomatous visual field defects. If both eyes of the same patient were found to be eligible, both eyes were selected for analysis. Patients with diseases known to affect the visual field (eg, pituitary lesions, Alzheimer disease, stroke, diabetic retinopathy) or inability to perform perimetry reliably, or with life-threatening chronic diseases, were excluded. All included patients received LBN 0.024% as a replacement for a PGA, with examinations at 1-, 3-, 6-and 12-months follow-up. After beginning treatment, no surgeries, lasers, or medication changes occurred during follow-up. Main outcome measures were IOP, retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, visual fields before and after LBN use, and adverse effects.

All participants received complete ophthalmic examinations, including best-corrected visual acuity, gonioscopy, pachymetry using specular microscope (EM 3000, Tomey, USA), slitlamp biomicroscopy and stereoscopic disc photography (Canon. CR-2 AF). Intraocular pressure measurements used non-contact tonometer (TONOREF III, NIDEK, Japan) and rechecked with iCare tonometer (TA01i) for 3 times. If IOP difference greater than 3 in three times measurements with non-contact tonometer, then recheck with iCare tonometer for three times. If the average values of two kinds of measurements are different, the average values of IOP data from iCare tonometer was recorded. The method of IOP measurement used for each patients was consistent across visits. Spectral-domain OCT (Heidelberg Spectralis OCT, Heidelberg Engineering, Germany); and a visual field (VF) test (Kowa AP-5000c; KOWA, Los Angeles, CA, USA). OCT and VF examinations before and after the LBN use will be recorded. Only reliable VF test results (false-positive errors <15%, false-negative errors <15%, and fixation loss <20%) were included in the analysis. Peripapillary RNFL thickness was measured using Spectralis SD-OCT (Heidelberg Engineering, Germany). SD-OCT scans acquire a total of 1536 A-scan points from a 3.45-mm circle centered on the optic disc. Images with non-centered scans or signal strength 15 or less were excluded.

Ethics statement

The study design followed the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and the study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Taipei Medical University (TMU-N202210003), which also acts on behalf of its affiliated hospital, Taipei Medical University Hospital. Since all data were retrospective and included patients were deidentified, the Ethics Committee waived signed informed consent.

Statistical analysis

Patient and eye characteristics were determined using the independent t test for continuous variables and the Chi squared test for categorical variables. The differences of IOP reduction between baseline IOP, PGA IOP and IOP with LBN 0.024% treatment at 1-, 3-, 6- and 12-months were calculated using linear mixed-effects models, with fixed effect terms for treatment and period, and a within-participant random intercept. Visual field mean deviation (MD), pattern standard deviation (PSD) and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness before and after treatment with LBN for 12 months were compared with the paired t test. In subgroup analysis of patients who received tafluprost or travoprost at baseline, and POAG or NTG, the independent t test was performed. Differences were determined using two-sided 95% Confidence Intervals (CI) and P values were calculated. P < .05 was considered statistically significant. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS (version 26.0; SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL, USA)

Results

Among seventy-eight included patients, 47 patients (81 eyes, 60%) with open-angle glaucoma (OAG) remained on LBN treatment throughout 12-months follow-up. 31 patients (40%) dropped out for intolerable adverse effects after 1 month use of LBN, and the most common ocular side effects were irritation and conjunctival hyperemia. Patients’ eyes with POAG (n = 22, 27.2%) and NTG (n = 59, 72.8%) were included. Patients’ demographic and clinical characteristics are shown in Table 1. Baseline IOP was 18.2 ± 4.2 mm Hg and Prostaglandin analogue (PGA)-IOP was 14.4 ± 3.0 mm Hg, on 1.3 ± 0.5 glaucoma medications. PGA use before LBN included tafluoprost 0.0015% (n = 46, 56.8%), travoprost 0.003% (n = 31, 38.3%) and latanoprost 0.005% (n = 4, 4.9%). 63% patients were receiving PGA monotherapy. The mean additional IOP reduction (95% CI) after LBN use at 1-, 3-, 6- and 12-month follow-up were 1.0 ±0.2 mmHg, 1.3±0.2 mmHg, 1.1±0.2 mmHg and 1.6 ±0.2 mmHg (P<0.001). Differences in IOP reduction were all statistically significant, with the greatest reduction at 12-month follow-up. (Table 2)

Table 1. Characteristics of participants (n = 81 eyes).

SE (Diopter) -6.0 ± 3.3 (-5.3 - -6.8)
Age (y) (95% CI) 51.3 ± 11.9 (48.6–54.0)
Sex, Female (%) 30 (37.04)
CCT (um) 541.3 ± 34.7 (533.0–549.6)
Diabetes, n (%) 9 (11.4)
Hypertension, n (%) 24 (29.6)
Hyperlipidemia, n (%) 28 (35.4)
Baseline IOP (mmHg) (95% CI) 18.2 ± 4.2 (17.2–19.2)
PGA- IOP (mmHg) 14.4± 3.0 (13.7–15.0)
Pre-LBN RNFL (um) 71.9± 10.5 (69.4–74.4)
Pre-LBN VF MD (dB) -3.4±1.6 (-10.0- -0.2)
Pre-LBN VF PSD (dB) 3.7±2.8 (0–10.2)
Eye classification, n (%)
POAG 22 (27.2)
NTG 59 (72.8)
PGA use before LBN (%)
    tafluprost 46 (56.8)
    travoprost 31 (38.3)
    latanoprost 4 (4.9)

CCT = central corneal thickness; CI = confidence interval; IOP = intraocular pressure; PGA = prostaglandin analogue; RNFL = retinal nerve fiber layer thickness; POAG = primary open angle glaucoma; NTG = normal tension glaucoma; LBN = latanoprostene bunod; Mo = month

Table 2. Mean additional intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction after LBN use (n = 81eyes).

PGA-IOP vs IOP 1Mo -1.0±0.2 (0.4–1.6) <0.0001
PGA-IOP vs IOP 3Mo -1.3±0.2 (0.7–1.9) <0.0001
PGA-IOP vs IOP 6Mo -1.1±0.2 (0.5–1.7) <0.0001
PGA-IOP vs IOP 12Mo -1.6±0.2 (1.0–2.2) <0.0001

IOP = intraocular pressure; LBN = latanoprostene bunod; PGA = Prostaglandin analogue; Mo = month

P<0.05 is considered statistically significant

Subgroup analysis of patients who had POAG or NTG at baseline showed that mean additional IOP reduction was significantly different after 1 and 3 months (S1 Table) In the subgroup who was POAG (baseline IOP: 24.7±2.9 mm Hg; n = 22; 27%), mean PGA-IOP was 16.8±3.5 mm Hg (32% mean IOP reduction). In the subgroup who was NTG (baseline IOP: 16.8±2.3 mm Hg; n = 59; 73%), mean PGA-IOP was 13.5±2.1 mm Hg (19.6% mean IOP reduction). The mean additional IOP reduction from PGA-IOP was 2.1±3.2 mm Hg (8.7%) and 1.3±2.0 mm Hg (7.7%) after switched to LBN in POAG and NTG group at month 12. (Fig 1)

Fig 1. Mean additional intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction at month 1 and month 12 in patient subgroups who were primary open angle glaucoma (POAG, n = 22) or normal tension glaucoma (NTG, n = 59).

Fig 1

P = 0.03 at month 1 and P = 0.23 at month 12.

Subgroup analysis of patients who used tafluprost or travoprost before LBN showed that additional mean IOP reduction was significantly different at 1- and 12-month follow-up visits. (S2 Table) Mean IOP reduction were 21% and 22% in tafluprost and travoprost group from baseline. Mean additional IOP reduction at month 12 after switched to LBN was 1.8±2.3 mm Hg (9.5%) in tafluprost group and 0.5±1.7 mm Hg (2.6%) in travoprost group (P = 0.02). (Fig 2)

Fig 2. Mean additional intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction at month 1 and month 12 in patient subgroups previously treated with tafluprost (n = 46) or travoplost (n = 31).

Fig 2

P = 0.001 at month 1 and P = 0.02 at month 12.

The differences between visual field mean deviation (-0.04 ± 1.2, P = 0.82) and pattern standard deviation (-0.2 ± 1.9, P = 0.42) after switched to LBN for 12 months were not statistically significant. The differences in RNFL thickness (0.1 ± 4.4, P = 0.93) was also not statistically significant after 12 months of treatment with LBN 0.024%.

Approximately 40% of patients have intolerable ocular adverse effects, mostly moderate to severe conjunctival hyperemia and instillation site pain, so they dropped out at 1 month of LBN use and changed medication. Tolerable ocular adverse effects were 40.8% in remaining 81 eyes included irritation (n = 16, 19.8%), mild conjunctival hyperemia (n = 11, 13.6%), dark circles (n = 4, 4.9%) and blurred vision (n = 2, 2.5%).

Discussion

In this real-world retrospective chart review study, there was 21% mean IOP reduction from baseline treatment with PGA. After switched to LBN, there was 5.5% additional IOP reduction at month 1 and 8.8% additional IOP reduction at month 12. The IOP lowering efficacy of LBN was significant and persisted for 12 months. Visual field mean deviation, pattern standard deviation and retinal fiber layer thickness were not significantly decreased after switched to LBN 0.024% for 12 months, which is compatible with the results of the Jupiter study. Mean IOP reduction with LBN 0.024% in Jupiter study [8] was 4.3mmHg or 22% at 4 weeks and 5.3mmHg or greater than 25% at 52 weeks. 75% patients were NTG patients. It corresponded with the degree of IOP reduction to minimize glaucoma progression.

Subgroup analysis of POAG patients, it delivered a 32% mean IOP reduction from baseline with PGA use and 8.7% additional IOP reduction (total up to 10 mmHg mean IOP reduction) after switched to LBN at 12 months in our study. In APOLLO [5], LUNA [6] R and pooled analysis study [7], LBN delivered a 32% mean IOP reduction and up to 9 mmHg reduction from baseline in patients with open-angle glaucoma (OAG) and ocular hypertension (OHT) at month 3 and 12. Different population (European and African ancestry in APOLLO study) and glaucoma types may be the possible causes of different IOP lowering efficacy. Our study do not include ocular hypertension patients. In a retrospective chart review study [10], mean IOP lowering of 31% in treatment-naïve OAG patients with LBN at 4 months. Percent IOP lowering was 41% and 22% in POAG and NTG patients which was similar with results in the present study. 32% and 19.6% mean IOP reduction from baseline with PGA and 9.3% and 5.4% mean additional reduction in POAG and NTG patients after switched to LBN for 3 months.

A network meta-analysis [9] for short-term efficacy of LBN for the treatment of OAG and OHT found that LBN significantly lowers IOP after 3 months’ use compared to other treatments. LBN outperformed tafluprost (0.41 mm Hg) and travoprost (0.58 mm Hg) in mean difference IOP at 3 months. I n the present study, mean additional IOP reduction after LBN use was 0.6 mmHg in travoprost group and 1.4 mm Hg in tafluprost group at month 3. Mean IOP was significantly lowered after LBN use, demonstrating that LBN statistically outperformed tafluprost and travoprost throughout 12 months. The IOP reduction difference in tafluoprost group may due to different study design or population.

Approximately 40% of patients cannot tolerate the ocular adverse effects and dropped out at 1 month. The most common intolerable adverse effects were moderate to severe conjunctival hyperemia and eye irritation in the current study. The dropped out rate was higher than reported in the prior study. In Weinreb et al pooled analysis study [7], approximately one third of patients had conjunctival hyperemia at baseline, mostly mild to moderate, before treatment initiation. 29% subjects were treatment-naive and medication washout was performed in the remaining glaucoma patients. About 10% patients have moderate or severe conjunctival hyperemia and eye irritation was 8% in patients using LBN by week 6. Only 1.4% subjects discontinued due to ocular adverse effects in the pooled analysis study. In the VOYAGER study [11], the most common ocular treatment-related adverse effects was instillation site pain reported by 12.0% of subjects in the LBN 0.024% group, but did not affect compliance. Differences in the ethnic populations and different study design may have contributed to the greater dropped out rate observed in the present study. In a real-world study [10], the dropped out rate was 12.3% with use of LBN in treatment-naïve patients with open-angle glaucoma for 4 months. The higher dropped out rate in the present study may be due to direct switch from PG analog (travoprost and tafluprost) to LBN. Washout period may be important to increase the adherence. Mean age of patients in the present study (51.3 years) were younger than in the pooled analysis study [7] and Jupiter study [8] (64.9 and 62.5 years). Younger patients may have higher possibility to intolerant the ocular adverse effects due to the conjunctival hyperemia and ocular irritation.

In a recent meta-analysis [12], the percentage of patients who had at least one adverse event ranged from 24% in VOYAGER study [11] for 1 month, 13.4% and 23.8% in APOLLO [5] and LUNAR study [6] for 3 months to 21.6% in pooled study and 58.5% in JUPITER study [8] for 12 months. The three most common ocular side effects were conjunctival hyperemia, eye irritation, and dry eye in the meta-analysis study. In JUPITER study [8], conjunctival hyperemia (17.7%), growth eye lashes (16%), and irritation (11.5%) were the three most common ocular side effects. Conjunctival hyperemia occurred 2.8% and 9% for 3 months in APOLLO [5] and LUNAR study [6], and 5.9% for 1 year in Pooled analysis study [7]. The incidence of conjunctival hyperemia was less than in Asian-population of JUPITER study [8] and our study (13.6%). Conjunctival hyperemia have been reported about 4.9%-11.6% [13, 14] in tafluprost and about 42% in travoprost [15].

The percentage of tolerable ocular side effects were about 40.8% in the present study, which was similar to treatment-relative ocular adverse events reported in the Jupiter study (47.7%) [8]. Ocular adverse effects of special interest, like change in iris pigmentation and eyelash growth were uncommon, but eyelid pigmentation (4.9%) was noted in the present study. Similar with the result of Inone K et al [16], which reported there was no significant difference between the five types of Prostaglandin analogs with regards to eyelid pigmentation (4–6%), which included tafluprost and travoprost. Growth of eyelashes were significantly more frequent with travoprost and tafluprost (46%), which were much higher than LBN in JUPITER study [8].

The present study has several limitations. First, the sample of 81eyes was relatively small, and it may lead to a lack of statistical power. Subgroup analyses based on previous prostaglandin analog use or glaucoma type (POAG vs. NTG) may be limited by sample size, potentially resulting in insufficient power to detect meaningful differences between groups. Future prospective studies with larger samples and longer follow-up periods are warranted. Second, this study used retrospective design, suggesting that results cannot be generalized to other populations and that we cannot exclude the possibility of selection bias. Third, the high dropped out rate due to adverse effects warrant further investigations into patient-reported outcomes and quality of life measures.

Conclusions

Although high intolerable adverse effects including conjunctival hyperemia and eye irritation happened in the first month, remaining sixty percent of patients exhibited statistically significant additional IOP reductions in the replacement of other PGAs during 12 months of clinical use of LBN 0.024% and also got benefits in the visual field and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness preservation.

Supporting information

S1 Checklist. Human participants research checklist.

(DOCX)

pone.0307132.s001.docx (52.7KB, docx)
S1 Table. Mean additional intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction after switched to LBN in patients with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) or normal tension glaucoma (NTG).

(DOCX)

pone.0307132.s002.docx (14KB, docx)
S2 Table. Mean additional intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction in patients treated with tafluprost or travoprost before switched to LBN.

(DOCX)

pone.0307132.s003.docx (14KB, docx)
S1 Data

(XLSX)

pone.0307132.s004.xlsx (18.9KB, xlsx)

Data Availability

All relevant data are within the manuscript and its Supporting Information files.

Funding Statement

The author(s) received no specific funding for this work.

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Decision Letter 0

Natasha Gautam

25 Apr 2024

PONE-D-24-03946One-Year Experience with Latanoprostene Bunod Ophthalmic Solution 0.024% in Clinical Practice: A Retrospective Observational StudyPLOS ONE

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3. Please review your reference list to ensure that it is complete and correct. If you have cited papers that have been retracted, please include the rationale for doing so in the manuscript text, or remove these references and replace them with relevant current references. Any changes to the reference list should be mentioned in the rebuttal letter that accompanies your revised manuscript. If you need to cite a retracted article, indicate the article’s retracted status in the References list and also include a citation and full reference for the retraction notice.

Additional Editor Comments:

Please elaborate more on the adverse effects in results as well as discussion. I would suggest to group them into tolerable and intolerable side effescts (which lead to drop out at 1 month). Similarly in discussion, rather than phrasing the adverse effects as 2.5-19.8%, the authors should give the percentage of eyes which developed side effects, and also subgroup into tolerable and intolerable side effects as mentioned in results. They should also try to compare the side effects reported in literature for both latanoprostene bunod, as well as prostaglandin analogues used alone.

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Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

1. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions?

The manuscript must describe a technically sound piece of scientific research with data that supports the conclusions. Experiments must have been conducted rigorously, with appropriate controls, replication, and sample sizes. The conclusions must be drawn appropriately based on the data presented.

Reviewer #1: Partly

Reviewer #2: Partly

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2. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously?

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: No

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3. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available?

The PLOS Data policy requires authors to make all data underlying the findings described in their manuscript fully available without restriction, with rare exception (please refer to the Data Availability Statement in the manuscript PDF file). The data should be provided as part of the manuscript or its supporting information, or deposited to a public repository. For example, in addition to summary statistics, the data points behind means, medians and variance measures should be available. If there are restrictions on publicly sharing data—e.g. participant privacy or use of data from a third party—those must be specified.

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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4. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English?

PLOS ONE does not copyedit accepted manuscripts, so the language in submitted articles must be clear, correct, and unambiguous. Any typographical or grammatical errors should be corrected at revision, so please note any specific errors here.

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: No

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5. Review Comments to the Author

Please use the space provided to explain your answers to the questions above. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. (Please upload your review as an attachment if it exceeds 20,000 characters)

Reviewer #1: In the methodology section kindly mention which measures were taken to ensure that the IOP readings on various visits were not affected due to diurnal variations. Also clarify that which reading was noted (tonoref or icare or average of both). In the result section, subgroup analyses based on previous prostaglandin analog use or glaucoma type (POAG vs. NTG) may be limited by sample size, potentially resulting in insufficient power to detect meaningful differences between groups. it's noteworthy that LBN was discontinued in a significant number of patients due to adverse effects after only one month of use, indicating a substantial rate of intolerance. The high rate of discontinuation due to adverse effects warrant further investigation and consideration. It would be valuable to compare the incidence and severity of adverse effects reported in this study with those reported in other similar studies to provide context and highlight any notable differences. Discuss how variations in patient demographics, disease characteristics, and clinical practices across different healthcare settings may impact the applicability of the results to broader patient populations. Offer suggestions for future research endeavors to address the study's limitations and expand upon its findings. This could include recommendations for prospective studies with longer follow-up periods, comparative effectiveness trials against other glaucoma therapies, or investigations into patient-reported outcomes and quality of life measures.

Reviewer #2: The presented study is an original retrospective observational research. Unfortunately, this article does not totally adhere to appropriate reporting guidelines and to the Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Research in PLOS ONE.

1. According to the style and format:

• Manuscript should be written in a clear, correct, and unambiguous language. Check it with proof reading of English grammar by using special “scientific editing service” or “manuscript editing service.” Please rewrite your manuscript, because some sentences are totally wrong. For example, in the “Abstract” Section the sentence “No significant changes in visual field and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness after 12 months follow up.” is an incomplete sentence that could not be accepted.

• Please include page numbers and continuous line numbers in the manuscript file and place each table in your manuscript file directly after the paragraph in which it is first cited.

2. The authors have not proposed a clear research question; the purpose should be corrected. It is not possible to evaluate the clinical use; the authors could evaluate the clinical efficacy or effectiveness. Please clarify the purpose: “To evaluate the efficacy of the first topical nitric oxide-donating prostaglandin analog (PGA), latanoprostene bunod (LBN) ophthalmic solution 0.024% (Vyzulta®), in intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction.”

3. In the “Methods” Section of the Abstract there is a contradiction: the least follow up mentioned to be 12 months and then it is written that “all included patients received LBN as a replacement for a PGA, with 1-, 3- , 6-and 12- month follow-up.” Please correct it and add a word “with examinations at 1-, 3-, 6- and 12-months follow-up.”

4. In the “Statistical analysis” Section and in the “Results” Section of Abstract and the manuscript please specify, which IOP values you use: mean or median? Furthermore, baseline IOP? IOP before LBN? PGA-IOP? Please clarify all these values.

5. Please correct “Methods” Section by adding the number of included patients (eyes), and then how many were excluded due to short follow up, and how many were left for analysis.

6. What does mean “PGA before LBN” in the Table 3 and Table 4?

7. There is a contradiction in the number of the patients with discontinued LBN at 1 month follow-up in the “Results” and “Discussion” Sections: 31 vs. 25 patients ….

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Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #2: No

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[NOTE: If reviewer comments were submitted as an attachment file, they will be attached to this email and accessible via the submission site. Please log into your account, locate the manuscript record, and check for the action link "View Attachments". If this link does not appear, there are no attachment files.]

While revising your submission, please upload your figure files to the Preflight Analysis and Conversion Engine (PACE) digital diagnostic tool, https://pacev2.apexcovantage.com/. PACE helps ensure that figures meet PLOS requirements. To use PACE, you must first register as a user. Registration is free. Then, login and navigate to the UPLOAD tab, where you will find detailed instructions on how to use the tool. If you encounter any issues or have any questions when using PACE, please email PLOS at figures@plos.org. Please note that Supporting Information files do not need this step.

PLoS One. 2024 Aug 22;19(8):e0307132. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0307132.r002

Author response to Decision Letter 0


1 Jun 2024

Thank the editor and reviewers for the hard working to correct the mistakes and give us many useful suggestions for the article. Learn a lot and appreciate for all the help. Thank you so much!

Attachment

Submitted filename: Response to reviewers.docx

pone.0307132.s005.docx (17.9KB, docx)

Decision Letter 1

Natasha Gautam

6 Jun 2024

PONE-D-24-03946R1One-Year Experience with Latanoprostene Bunod Ophthalmic Solution 0.024% in Clinical Practice: A Retrospective Observational StudyPLOS ONE

Dear Dr. GUO,

Thank you for submitting your manuscript to PLOS ONE. After careful consideration, we feel that it has merit but does not fully meet PLOS ONE’s publication criteria as it currently stands. Therefore, we invite you to submit a revised version of the manuscript that addresses the points raised during the review process.

The authors have addressed most of the comments nicely, however there are few suggestions as listed below.

Please submit your revised manuscript by Jul 21 2024 11:59PM. If you will need more time than this to complete your revisions, please reply to this message or contact the journal office at plosone@plos.org. When you're ready to submit your revision, log on to https://www.editorialmanager.com/pone/ and select the 'Submissions Needing Revision' folder to locate your manuscript file.

Please include the following items when submitting your revised manuscript:

  • A rebuttal letter that responds to each point raised by the academic editor and reviewer(s). You should upload this letter as a separate file labeled 'Response to Reviewers'.

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If you would like to make changes to your financial disclosure, please include your updated statement in your cover letter. Guidelines for resubmitting your figure files are available below the reviewer comments at the end of this letter.

If applicable, we recommend that you deposit your laboratory protocols in protocols.io to enhance the reproducibility of your results. Protocols.io assigns your protocol its own identifier (DOI) so that it can be cited independently in the future. For instructions see: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/s/submission-guidelines#loc-laboratory-protocols. Additionally, PLOS ONE offers an option for publishing peer-reviewed Lab Protocol articles, which describe protocols hosted on protocols.io. Read more information on sharing protocols at https://plos.org/protocols?utm_medium=editorial-email&utm_source=authorletters&utm_campaign=protocols.

We look forward to receiving your revised manuscript.

Kind regards,

Natasha Gautam, MBBS, MS

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

Journal Requirements:

Please review your reference list to ensure that it is complete and correct. If you have cited papers that have been retracted, please include the rationale for doing so in the manuscript text, or remove these references and replace them with relevant current references. Any changes to the reference list should be mentioned in the rebuttal letter that accompanies your revised manuscript. If you need to cite a retracted article, indicate the article’s retracted status in the References list and also include a citation and full reference for the retraction notice.

Additional Editor Comments:

The authors mentioned: Intraocular pressure measurements used non-contact tonometer (TONOREF III, NIDEK, Japan) and rechecked with iCare tonometer (TA01i) for 3 times. If two measurements are different, IOP data from iCare tonometer was recorded.

When IOP is being recorded using 2 different instruments, it is very rare that they would provide same IOP values. They are usually different by 1 or 2 points. Moreover 3 readings taken by icare alone would be different from each other. So it is still not clear, what equipments did the authors rely on everytime while checking IOP. From the above line, it appears that they used the NCT meausrement but in cases of discrepancy they relied on icare? Did they take the average of 3 readings from icare? If they relied on NCT during one visit, but there was discordance in IOP measurement between 2 equipments on subsequent visits, did they use icare that time? Does that mean that IOP values were not consistent and uniformly recorded over the visits? please elaborate.

A significant proportion of patients suffered from intolerable and tolerable side effects which lead to significant drop out, but it is not mentioned in the abstract results and conclusion. If there is a concern for word limit, the authors are advised to remove the lines "also benefits in the visual field and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness preservation" and instead focus on side effects to give the true picture to the readers.

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[NOTE: If reviewer comments were submitted as an attachment file, they will be attached to this email and accessible via the submission site. Please log into your account, locate the manuscript record, and check for the action link "View Attachments". If this link does not appear, there are no attachment files.]

While revising your submission, please upload your figure files to the Preflight Analysis and Conversion Engine (PACE) digital diagnostic tool, https://pacev2.apexcovantage.com/. PACE helps ensure that figures meet PLOS requirements. To use PACE, you must first register as a user. Registration is free. Then, login and navigate to the UPLOAD tab, where you will find detailed instructions on how to use the tool. If you encounter any issues or have any questions when using PACE, please email PLOS at figures@plos.org. Please note that Supporting Information files do not need this step.

PLoS One. 2024 Aug 22;19(8):e0307132. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0307132.r004

Author response to Decision Letter 1


12 Jun 2024

Dear editor Natasha Gautam:

Thank you for correcting the mistakes and reminding the important issue about the IOP measurements and the high intolerable adverse effects in the current study. Intraocular pressure measurements used non-contact tonometer (TONOREF III, NIDEK, Japan) and rechecked with iCare tonometer (TA01i) for 3 times. If IOP difference greater than 3 in three times measurements with non-contact tonometer, then recheck with iCare tonometer for three times. If the average values of two kinds of measurements are different, the average values of IOP data from iCare tonometer was recorded. The method of IOP measurement used for each patients was consistent across visits.

Sincerely yours,

Chunmei Hsueh and Siaopei Guo

Attachment

Submitted filename: Response to reviewers (new).docx

pone.0307132.s006.docx (18.6KB, docx)

Decision Letter 2

Natasha Gautam

1 Jul 2024

One-Year Experience with Latanoprostene Bunod Ophthalmic Solution 0.024% in Clinical Practice: A Retrospective Observational Study

PONE-D-24-03946R2

Dear Dr. GUO,

We’re pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been judged scientifically suitable for publication and will be formally accepted for publication once it meets all outstanding technical requirements.

Within one week, you’ll receive an e-mail detailing the required amendments. When these have been addressed, you’ll receive a formal acceptance letter and your manuscript will be scheduled for publication.

An invoice will be generated when your article is formally accepted. Please note, if your institution has a publishing partnership with PLOS and your article meets the relevant criteria, all or part of your publication costs will be covered. Please make sure your user information is up-to-date by logging into Editorial Manager at Editorial Manager® and clicking the ‘Update My Information' link at the top of the page. If you have any questions relating to publication charges, please contact our Author Billing department directly at authorbilling@plos.org.

If your institution or institutions have a press office, please notify them about your upcoming paper to help maximize its impact. If they’ll be preparing press materials, please inform our press team as soon as possible -- no later than 48 hours after receiving the formal acceptance. Your manuscript will remain under strict press embargo until 2 pm Eastern Time on the date of publication. For more information, please contact onepress@plos.org.

Kind regards,

Natasha Gautam, MBBS, MS

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

Additional Editor Comments (optional):

Reviewers' comments:

Acceptance letter

Natasha Gautam

8 Jul 2024

PONE-D-24-03946R2

PLOS ONE

Dear Dr. GUO,

I'm pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been deemed suitable for publication in PLOS ONE. Congratulations! Your manuscript is now being handed over to our production team.

At this stage, our production department will prepare your paper for publication. This includes ensuring the following:

* All references, tables, and figures are properly cited

* All relevant supporting information is included in the manuscript submission,

* There are no issues that prevent the paper from being properly typeset

If revisions are needed, the production department will contact you directly to resolve them. If no revisions are needed, you will receive an email when the publication date has been set. At this time, we do not offer pre-publication proofs to authors during production of the accepted work. Please keep in mind that we are working through a large volume of accepted articles, so please give us a few weeks to review your paper and let you know the next and final steps.

Lastly, if your institution or institutions have a press office, please let them know about your upcoming paper now to help maximize its impact. If they'll be preparing press materials, please inform our press team within the next 48 hours. Your manuscript will remain under strict press embargo until 2 pm Eastern Time on the date of publication. For more information, please contact onepress@plos.org.

If we can help with anything else, please email us at customercare@plos.org.

Thank you for submitting your work to PLOS ONE and supporting open access.

Kind regards,

PLOS ONE Editorial Office Staff

on behalf of

Dr. Natasha Gautam

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

Associated Data

    This section collects any data citations, data availability statements, or supplementary materials included in this article.

    Supplementary Materials

    S1 Checklist. Human participants research checklist.

    (DOCX)

    pone.0307132.s001.docx (52.7KB, docx)
    S1 Table. Mean additional intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction after switched to LBN in patients with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) or normal tension glaucoma (NTG).

    (DOCX)

    pone.0307132.s002.docx (14KB, docx)
    S2 Table. Mean additional intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction in patients treated with tafluprost or travoprost before switched to LBN.

    (DOCX)

    pone.0307132.s003.docx (14KB, docx)
    S1 Data

    (XLSX)

    pone.0307132.s004.xlsx (18.9KB, xlsx)
    Attachment

    Submitted filename: Response to reviewers.docx

    pone.0307132.s005.docx (17.9KB, docx)
    Attachment

    Submitted filename: Response to reviewers (new).docx

    pone.0307132.s006.docx (18.6KB, docx)

    Data Availability Statement

    All relevant data are within the manuscript and its Supporting Information files.


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