Safety and Efficacy of Twice-Daily Pilocarpine HCl in Presbyopia: The Virgo Phase 3, Randomized, Double-Masked, Controlled Study

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics of pilocarpine hydrochloride 1.25% (Pilo hereafter) compared with vehicle when administered bilaterally, twice daily (6 hours apart) for 14 days in participants with presbyopia.

Design: Phase 3, randomized (1:1), controlled, double-masked, multicenter study.

Methods: Participants (40-55 years of age) had objective and subjective evidence of presbyopia affecting daily activities with mesopic, high-contrast, binocular distance-corrected near visual acuity (DCNVA) of 20/40 to 20/100. The primary/key secondary endpoint was the proportion of participants gaining ≥3 lines in mesopic/photopic, high-contrast, binocular DCNVA on day 14 (last study visit), hour 9 (3 hours after the second dose), with no more than a 5-letter loss in mesopic/photopic corrected distance visual acuity with the same refractive correction. Key safety measures included treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) and some ocular measurements. Pilocarpine plasma levels were assessed in approximately 10% of enrolled participants.

Results: Overall, 230 participants were randomized to Pilo twice daily (N = 114) and vehicle (N = 116). The proportion of participants achieving the primary and key secondary efficacy endpoints was statistically significantly greater with Pilo twice daily than vehicle, with between-treatment differences of 27.3% (95% CI = 17.3, 37.4) and 26.4% (95% CI = 16.8, 36.0), respectively. The most common TEAE was headache, reported in 10 participants (8.8%, Pilo group) and 4 participants (3.4%, vehicle group). Pilocarpine's accumulation index on day 14 was ≤1.11 after the second dose.

Conclusions: Near-vision improvements were statistically greater with Pilo twice daily than with vehicle, without compromising distance acuity. The safety profile of Pilo twice daily was consistent with that of Pilo once daily, and systemic accumulation was minimal, supporting twice daily administration.