October 27, 2021-After the FDA approved the first nasal spray to treat dry eye, patients with dry eye have a new relief tool.

Used twice a day, the solution of the brand name Tyrvaya can improve the signs and symptoms of dry eye.

"We are very excited to bring a new treatment for dry eye to patients and eye caregivers," said Marian Macsai, chief medical officer of the drug manufacturer Oyster Point Pharma.

The company plans to provide the drug to wholesalers in November. Each bottle provides 15 days of treatment.

For uninsured patients, the price of this medicine is $10 or less. Oyster Point is negotiating discounts with insurance companies.

She said the drug, called varenicline, can be used for any dry eye patients who have not been relieved by artificial tears or who need to use artificial tears more than three or four times a day.

"In our key trial, we recruited patients with mild, moderate, and severe disease," Macsai said. "Therefore, through this new route of administration and new mechanism of action, I hope this will provide relief to many patients with dry eye who are currently suffering."

Dry eye is difficult to treat because its cause is difficult to determine. Varenicline seems to work by stimulating nerves in the skull, leading to the formation of natural tears.

Pfizer is marketed as the oral drug Chantix, and varenicline is used to reduce cravings for cigarettes. According to Michael Raizman, MD, associate professor of ophthalmology at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, who participated in the drug research, it is much less likely to end up in the blood when administered as a nasal spray for dry eye.

He said the spray only takes 14 days instead of the 3-6 months required by existing prescription drugs, and it does not irritate the eyes.

"This approval is exciting for the ophthalmology community because it provides us with a new therapeutic agent that can be used alone or in combination with existing therapies to treat the general term of'dry eye'. Individuals," said Anat Galor, MD, spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology and associate professor at the University of Miami.

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