A new drug to battle vision-stealing glaucoma works significantly better than standard therapy - but has the startling side effect of turning blue eyes brown.
Despite not understanding the cause or significance of the eye color change, the Food and Drug Administration should approve latanoprost, a panel of scientific advisers decided Friday.But the FDA panel insisted that manufacturer Pharmacia & Upjohn Inc. continue to study the drug's long-term safety and clearly label that it can cause the eye-color change so doctors and patients understand the risk.
"This could turn out to be a major public health hazard for glaucoma patients," said Dr. Alexander Brucker of the University of Pennsylvania, who opposed the drug.
Other panelists countered that there is no proof of such danger, and voted 4-2 to approve the drug. "It is very effective" at fighting glaucoma, said Dr. Emily Chew of the National Eye Institute.
The FDA is not bound by advisory panel decisions but usually follows them.
Glaucoma blinds 80,000 Americans a year and steals some sight from 900,000 others. It is caused when fluid builds up inside the eyeball and causes dangerous pressure. Over time that pressure pushes against the delicate optic nerve until it is damaged and the person begins to lose eyesight.