The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has approved Japan’s first eye drops that slow the progression of myopia.
The ministry on Friday approved the manufacture and sale of atropine sulfate hydrate. The drug was developed by Osaka-based Santen Pharmaceuticals.
Myopia often occurs when the length of the eyeball increases as the child grows, making it difficult to focus on distant objects.
Santen Pharmaceutical announced that it conducted a study on children with mild and moderate myopia. They found that in the group given the eye drops, symptoms progressed more slowly and the eyes became less elongated than in the group given a placebo.
Some doctors personally import eye drops containing similar substances that have been approved overseas. The ministry’s approval raises hopes that the drug will become more widely available.
Santen Pharmaceutical says it is unlikely that this infusion drug will be covered by public health insurance.
Kyoko Ohno, president of the Japan Myopia Association, who was involved in analyzing the trial data, said the new eye drops would likely be given to children.
The Tokyo Institute of Science professor also said that the trial involved children aged 5 to 15 with mild to moderate myopia, and that the drug likely would not work in adults or children with advanced myopia. added.
Professor Ohno points out that the number of children developing myopia is increasing in Japan as well.
She says that to slow the progression of myopia, it’s important to make lifestyle changes, such as refraining from looking at close objects for long periods of time and spending more time outdoors.
