ENTOD Pharmaceuticals has now got the approval to carry out phase 3 trials across India for their 0.05% atropine eye drops from the DCGI.

This higher strength of low-dose atropine eye drops is not available commercially anywhere in the world, and ENTOD Pharmaceuticals would be the first company to launch this in India subject to a successful demonstration of safety & efficacy in clinical studies.

MYATRO 0.01% eye drops is used to treat eye problems like myopia, especially in children when a child can clearly see nearby objects but has problems seeing distant objects.

Low-dose atropine has emerged as an effective approach to slow the progression of myopia in children and has recently garnered a lot of interest from ophthalmologists.

Speaking about the latest development, the Executive Director of ENTOD Pharmaceuticals, Mr Nikkhil K Masurkar said “We have already recruited several clinical research sites across India to start phase 3 trial studies and hopefully, we should be the first company in the world to get approval for marketing 0.05% atropine eye drops from the DCGI. Being market leaders in pediatric ophthalmology medicine, we hope this new therapeutic addition to the low-dose atropine range will allow us to tackle the menace of childhood myopia in India. Myopia is the most important cause of visual impairment in children and as per a study by AIIMS, 17 percent of children or 1 out of 6 children in India between the ages of 5-15 years are suffering from myopia.”

” Myopia is a growing concern that causes an abnormal curvature of the cornea or elongation of the eyeball such that light no longer focuses directly on the retina. Excessive laptop & smartphone screen exposure times particularly due to online homeschooling during the pandemic, reduced outdoor play and a deceased exposure to sunlight has considerably increased the incidence of myopia in younger children which could lead to visual complications in later life including glaucoma, early cataract development, retinal detachments and myopic maculopathy.

“Low-Dose Atropine eye drops is one of the most viable therapeutic option available to slow down the progression of myopia rapidly and improve a child's vision” said Dr Namrata Sharma, Hony. General Secretary, All India Ophthalmological Society (AIOS)