Pharmacotherapeutic group: Ophthalmologicals, Antiglaucoma preparations and miotics, ATC code: S01EC54
Mechanism of action
Xabrixa contains two active substances: brinzolamide and brimonidine tartrate. These two components lower intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with open-angle glaucoma (OAG) and ocular hypertension (OHT) by suppressing the formation of aqueous humour from the ciliary process in the eye. Although both brinzolamide and brimonidine lower IOP by suppressing aqueous humour formation, their mechanisms of action are different.
Brinzolamide acts by inhibiting the enzyme carbonic anhydrase (CA-II) in the ciliary epithelium that reduces the formation of bicarbonate ions with subsequent reduction in sodium and fluid transport across the ciliary epithelium, resulting in decreased aqueous humour formation. Brimonidine, an alpha‑2 adrenergic agonist, inhibits the enzyme adenylate cyclase and suppresses the cAMP‑dependent formation of aqueous humour. Additionally, administration of brimonidine results in an increase in uveoscleral outflow.
Pharmacodynamic effects
Clinical efficacy and safety
Monotherapy
In a 6‑month, controlled, contribution of elements clinical study enrolling 560 patients with open- angle glaucoma (including pseudoexfoliation or pigment dispersion component) and/or ocular hypertension who, in the investigator's opinion, were insufficiently controlled on monotherapy or already on multiple IOP‑lowering medicinal products, and who had mean baseline diurnal IOP of 26 mmHg, the mean diurnal IOP‑lowering effect of Brinzolamide 10 mg/mL + Brimonidine tartrate 2 mg/mL eye drops, suspension dosed twice daily was approximately 8 mmHg. Statistically superior reductions in the mean diurnal IOP were observed with Brinzolamide 10 mg/mL + Brimonidine tartrate 2 mg/mL eye drops, suspension compared to brinzolamide 10 mg/ml or brimonidine 2 mg/ml dosed twice daily at all visits throughout the study (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Meana diurnal (9 AM, +2 hrs, +7 hrs) IOP change from baseline (mmHg) — Contribution of elements study
aLeast squares means derived from a statistical model that accounts for study site, 9 AM baseline IOP stratum, and correlated IOP measurements within patient.
All treatment differences Xabrixa Brinzolamide 10 mg/mL + Brimonidine tartrate 2 mg/mL eye drops, suspension versus individual components) were statistically significant with p=0.0001 or less.
Mean IOP reductions from baseline at each time point at each visit were greater with Brinzolamide 10 mg/mL + Brimonidine tartrate 2 mg/mL eye drops, suspension (6 to 9 mmHg) than monotherapy with either brinzolamide (5 to 7 mmHg) or brimonidine (4 to 7 mmHg). Mean percent IOP reductions from baseline with Brinzolamide 10 mg/mL + Brimonidine tartrate 2 mg/mL eye drops, suspension ranged from 23 to 34%. The percentages of patients with an IOP measurement less than 18 mmHg were greater in the Brinzolamide 10 mg/mL + Brimonidine tartrate 2 mg/mL eye drops, suspension group than in the Brinzolamide group at 11 of 12 assessments through Month 6 and were greater in the Brinzolamide 10 mg/mL + Brimonidine tartrate 2 mg/mL eye drops, suspension group than in the Brimonidine group at all 12 assessments through Month 6. At the +2 h time point (the time corresponding to the morning efficacy peak) for the primary efficacy visit at Month 3, the percentage of patients with an IOP less than 18 mmHg was 68.8% in the Brinzolamide 10 mg/mL + Brimonidine tartrate 2 mg/mL eye drops, suspension group, 42.3% in the Brinzolamide group, and 44.0% in the Brimonidine group.
In a 6 month, controlled, non-inferiority clinical study enrolling 890 patients with open-angle glaucoma (including pseudoexfoliation or pigment dispersion component) and/or ocular hypertension who, in the investigator's opinion, were insufficiently controlled on monotherapy or already on multiple IOP‑lowering medicinal products, and who had mean baseline diurnal IOP of 26 to 27 mmHg, non‑inferiority of Brinzolamide 10 mg/mL + Brimonidine tartrate 2 mg/mL eye drops, suspension compared to brinzolamide 10 mg/mL eye drop, suspension and brimonidine 2 mg/mL eye drop solution dosed concomitantly was demonstrated at all visits throughout the study with respect to mean diurnal IOP reduction from baseline (Table 1).
Table 1: Comparison of mean diurnal IOP (mmHg) change from baseline – Non-inferiority study
| Visit | Brinzolamide + Brimonidine suspension Meana | Brinzolamide suspension + Brimonidine solution Meana | Difference Meana (95% CI) |
| Week 2 | -8.4 (n=394) | -8.4 (n=384) | -0.0 (-0.4, 0.3) |
| Week 6 | -8.5 (n=384) | -8.4 (n=377) | -0.1 (-0.4, 0.2) |
| Month 3 | -8.5 (n=384) | -8.3 (n=373) | -0.1 (-0.5, 0.2) |
| Month 6 | -8.1 (n=346) | -8.2 (n=330) | 0.1 (-0.3, 0.4) |
| a Least squares means derived from a statistical model that accounts for study site, 9 AM baseline IOP stratum, and correlated IOP measurements within patient |
Mean IOP reductions from baseline at each time point at each visit with Brinzolamide 10 mg/mL + Brimonidine tartrate 2 mg/mL eye drops, suspension or the individual components administered concomitantly were similar (7 to 10 mmHg). Mean percent IOP reductions from baseline with Brinzolamide 10 mg/mL + Brimonidine tartrate 2 mg/mL eye drops, suspension ranged from 25 to 37%. The percentages of patients with an IOP measurement less than 18 mmHg were similar across study visits for the same time point through Month 6 in the Brinzolamide 10 mg/mL + Brimonidine tartrate 2 mg/mL eye drops, suspension and Brinzolamide + Brimonidine groups. At the +2 h time point (the time corresponding to the morning efficacy peak) for the primary efficacy visit at Month 3, the percentage of patients with an IOP less than 18 mmHg was 71.6% in both study groups.
Adjunct therapy
Clinical data on the use of Brinzolamide 10 mg/mL + Brimonidine tartrate 2 mg/mL eye drops, suspension adjunctive to prostaglandin analogues (PGA) also showed superior IOP‑lowering efficacy of Brinzolamide 10 mg/mL + Brimonidine tartrate 2 mg/mL eye drops, suspension + PGA compared with the PGA alone. In study CQVJ499A2401, Brinzolamide 10 mg/mL + Brimonidine tartrate 2 mg/mL eye drops, suspension + PGA (i.e. travoprost, latanoprost, or bimatoprost) demonstrated superior IOP-lowering efficacy from baseline compared to Vehicle + PGA after 6 weeks of treatment, with between-treatment difference in model-adjusted mean change from baseline in diurnal IOP of -3.44 mmHg (95% CI, ‑4.2, -2.7; p-value <0.001).
Clinical data on the use of Brinzolamide 10 mg/mL + Brimonidine tartrate 2 mg/mL eye drops, suspension adjunctive to travoprost-timolol maleate fixed dose combination eye drops, solution also showed superior IOP‑lowering efficacy of Brinzolamide 10 mg/mL + Brimonidine tartrate 2 mg/mL eye drops, suspension + travoprost-timolol maleate eye drops compared with the travoprost-timolol maleate alone. In study CQVJ499A2402, Brinzolamide 10 mg/mL + Brimonidine tartrate 2 mg/mL eye drops, suspension + travoprost-timolol maleate eye drops demonstrated superior IOP-lowering efficacy from baseline compared to Vehicle + travoprost-timolol maleate eye drops after 6 weeks of treatment, with between-treatment difference in model-adjusted mean change from baseline in diurnal IOP of -2.15 mmHg (95% CI, -2.8, -1.5; p-value <0.001).
The safety profile of Brinzolamide 10 mg/mL + Brimonidine tartrate 2 mg/mL eye drops, suspension in adjunct therapy was similar to that observed with Brinzolamide 10 mg/mL + Brimonidine tartrate 2 mg/mL eye drops, suspension monotherapy.
There are no efficacy and safety data for adjunct therapy beyond 6 weeks.
Paediatric population
The European Medicines Agency has waived the obligation to submit the results of studies with the reference medicinal product containing Brinzolamide/Brimonidine tartrate in all subsets of the paediatric population in the treatment of glaucoma and ocular hypertension (see section 4.2 for information on paediatric use).