Netarsudil: A new ophthalmic drug in the treatment of chronic primary open angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension

Background: Vision impairment remains a major health problem worldwide. Elevated intraocular pressure is a prime risk factor for blindness in the elderly. Netarsudil is a Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) inhibitor, which also inhibits norepinephrine transport. This narrative review summarizes the properties and clinical significance of netarsudil, a promising drug in topical glaucoma therapy.

Methods: We searched PubMed, Medline and Scopus databases using relevant keywords to retrieve information on the physicochemical properties, formulation, mechanism of action, clinical pharmacokinetics, dose and toxicity of netarsudil.

Results: Netarsudil showed promising effects in lowering the elevated intraocular pressure by two mechanisms. The US FDA approved netarsudil for clinical use in 2017 under the trademark of Rhopressa® while European Medicines Agency approved Rhokiinsa® in 2019. This drug is available as a 0.02% ophthalmic solution for once-daily topical application.

Conclusion: The discovery of netarsudil is a breakthrough in the therapy of glaucoma with proven efficacy in a wide range of eye pressures and is well tolerated in cases with ocular hypertension and chronic glaucoma.

Related Products

Cat.No.	Product Name	Information
S8226	Netarsudil (AR-13324) 2HCl	Netarsudil (AR-13324) is a ROCK inhibitor with Ki value of 0.2-10.3 nM. It is currently in clinical trials for the treatment of glaucoma and ocular hypertension.

Related Targets

ROCK