Global News

Biopharma company Horizon Therapeutics has announced real-world treatment results for its thyroid eye disease (TED) drug in patients with dysthyroid optic neuropathy (DON) who have not responded to previous treatment.

TEPEZZA (teprotumumab-trbw) is the first FDA-approved treatment for TED ‒ aserious, progressive and potentially vision-threatening rare autoimmune disease. DON is a complication of TED, which is characterised by thyroid-related impairment of visual function. It can lead to permanent sight loss related to optic nerve compression.

Between January 2020 and September 2022, 24 patients with TED and DON who had previously received treatment by way of oral or intravenous steroids, surgery and/or radiation were treated with TEPEZZA. After treatment with TEPEZZA, meaningful improvement was observed in visual acuity in eyes with DON, proptosis, diplopia and Clinical Activity Score (CAS).

Madhura A Tamhankar, MD, study author and associate professor of ophthalmology and neurology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, stated: “We know how devastating thyroid eye disease can be for patients, and the risk of blindness in those with dysthyroid optic neuropathy is one of the most worrisome complications, especially when traditional therapies fail. This data is encouraging for physicians looking for an option to treat patients at the highest risk of losing their sight and provide evidence that TEPEZZA can help improve symptoms and preserve visual acuity.”