Diquas (diquafosol) / Merck (MSD), Santen - LARVOL DELTA

Comparison of the efficacy of intense pulsed light, 0.05% cyclosporine A eye drops, and 3% diquafosol sodium eye drops in the treatment of moderate to severe dry eye: A prospective cohort study. (PubMed, Medicine (Baltimore)) - "IPL, 0.05% CsA, and 3% DQS eye drops are effective in treating moderate to severe dry eye. Notably, IPL shows significant advantages over CsA and DQS, owing to its noninvasive nature, effective clearance of meibomian gland obstruction, and marked improvement in tear film quality."

Clinical • Journal • Dry Eye Disease • Ophthalmology

Effect of 3% diquafosol sodium eye drops on the prediction of intraocular lens power in predisposition to dry eye patients scheduled for cataract surgery: a prospective, observational study. (PubMed, Front Med (Lausanne)) - "Use of 3% DQS induces changes in intraocular lens power by affecting steep keratometry values, with such change being more significant in predisposition to dry eyes and warranting attention. When planning cataract surgery, it is recommended to prioritize the Barrett Universal II formula for IOL power calculation."

Journal • Observational data • Astigmatism • Cataract • Dry Eye Disease • Ophthalmology

Evaluation of the Effects of Eye Drops for Dry Eyes on Neuronal Pain Receptors in a Primary Culture Model of Trigeminal Ganglion Cells. (PubMed, J Clin Med) - " Inhibition of cellular excitation by cyclosporine and diquafosol tetrasodium may underlie their clinical pain suppressive effects. The primary culture model described here may serve as a useful tool for future studies on corneal perception."

Journal • Dry Eye Disease • Inflammation • Neuralgia • Ocular Inflammation • Ophthalmology • Pain • TRPV1

Impact of 0.05% cyclosporine A on visual quality in patients with Post-refractive surgery dry eye. (PubMed, Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol) - "What is known Post-refractive surgery dry eye syndrome (DES) can degrade visual quality due to increased higher-order aberrations (HOAs) and tear film instability. Cyclosporine A (CsA) 0.05% has recognized anti-inflammatory effects and is commonly used to manage various types of DES. What is new The addition of 0.05% CsA to conventional DES treatment significantly improves corneal HOAs and subjective visual quality in post-refractive surgery patients. This study provides quantitative evidence that CsA not only relieves post-refractive DES symptoms but also enhances visual performance through improved tear film stability and optical quality."

Journal • Dry Eye Disease • Ocular Inflammation • Ophthalmology

The effect of diquafosol on tear film inflammatory markers in patients with dry eye: A noncomparative, open-label, proof-of-concept study. (PubMed, J Int Med Res) - "Individual responses were found to be independent of age, sex, eye laterality, pretreatment tear break-up time, and ocular surface disease index scores based on the multivariate logistic regression.ConclusionDiquafosol reduced the levels of proinflammatory cytokines in the tears of patients with dry eye disease after 4 weeks of treatment, suggesting their possible role in modulating ocular surface inflammation. Larger prospective studies are recommended to validate these results."

Biomarker • Journal • Dry Eye Disease • Ocular Inflammation • Oncology • Ophthalmology • IFNG • IL1B • IL6 • TNFA

Effect of silver nitrate solution on corneal epithelial barrier function in rabbits. (PubMed, Cutan Ocul Toxicol) - "Diquas LX eye drops containing silver nitrate significantly increased CR compared to Diquas eye drops without silver nitrate and improved corneal barrier function. Silver nitrate as a preservative may have contributed to this effect."

Journal • Preclinical • Dry Eye Disease • Ophthalmology • TJP1

Updates in the local treatments in Primary Sjögren's Syndrome "Efficacy and Safety" (ACR Convergence 2025) - "Novel agents such as lifitegrast, diquafosol, and lacritin reported favourable results with minimal adverse effects. In the management of xerostomia, pilocarpine and cevimeline improved salivary output (pilocarpine concentrations significantly increased whole salivary flow compared to placebo (p < 0.01)) and symptom perception (but were limited by systemic adverse effects... Local therapies remain a cornerstone in the management of sicca symptoms in pSS, particularly given the limited access to systemic immunomodulatory drugs. While several interventions demonstrated promising efficacy and safety profiles, most evidence was derived from small, heterogeneous studies. Further research is needed to establish standardised outcome measures, clarify long-term benefits, and guide personalised therapeutic strategies."

Clinical • Dental Disorders • Immunology • Sjogren's Syndrome • Xerostomia • LACRT

Comparison of two treatments for dry eye disease after corneal refractive surgery. (PubMed, Braz J Med Biol Res) - "Dry eye disease is a common complication after corneal refractive surgery, and there is a lack of international guidelines addressing its management. Three percent diquafosol showed superior improvement of dry eye parameters post-refractive surgery than 0.1% sodium hyaluronate."

Clinical • Journal • Retrospective data • Dry Eye Disease • Ophthalmology

Temporal Changes in Tear Film Stability With Four Dry Eye Eyedrops in Healthy Subjects. (PubMed, Eye Contact Lens) - "Topical instillation of 3% diquafosol ophthalmic solution effectively increased tear volume on the ocular surface, with the long-acting DQL formulation demonstrating a more sustained effect in healthy eyes."

Journal • Dry Eye Disease • Ophthalmology

3% Diquafosol Ophthalmic Solution for Active Moderate-to-Severe Vernal Keratoconjunctivitis (clinicaltrials.gov) - P3 | N=94 | Not yet recruiting | Sponsor: The University of Hong Kong | Initiation date: Jun 2025 ➔ Dec 2025

Trial initiation date • Conjunctivitis • Dry Eye Disease • Ocular Infections • Ocular Inflammation • Ophthalmology

Safety and Efficacy of Diquafosol Compared to Artificial Tears for the Treatment of Dry Eye: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. (PubMed, Int J Mol Sci) - "Secretagogues such as pilocarpine, cevimeline, and diquafosol offer potential alternatives, though their comparative effectiveness remains unclear. Diquafosol 3% shows greater efficacy than artificial tears in post-cataract DED but with more side effects. Further research is needed for other secretagogues."

Journal • Retrospective data • Review • Cataract • Dry Eye Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Ophthalmology

Effectiveness of Dry Eye Treatment With Diquafosol Sodium 3% After Phaco Surgery (clinicaltrials.gov) - P=N/A | N=60 | Completed | Sponsor: Le Xuan Cung

New trial • Dry Eye Disease • Ophthalmology

The Impact of 3% Diquafosol Ophthalmic Solution on Tear Film and Corneal Nerve Density in Patients with Diabetes and Dry Eye Disease: A Randomized Controlled Study. (PubMed, Ophthalmol Ther) - P=N/A | "Both DQS and HA can improve the tear film of patients with diabetes and DED. DQS is more effective in treating DED compared to HA. Additionally, DQS may be beneficial for diabetic dry eye patients with corneal nerve damage."

Journal • Diabetes • Dry Eye Disease • Metabolic Disorders • Ophthalmology

Compare the Clinical Efficacy of 3% Diquafosol and 0.1% Hyaluronic Acid in Patients With Dry Eye After LASIK (clinicaltrials.gov) - P=N/A | N=140 | Not yet recruiting | Sponsor: He Eye Hospital

New trial • Dry Eye Disease • Ophthalmology

Diquafosol vs Hyaluronic Acid for Diabetic Dry Eye (clinicaltrials.gov) - P=N/A | N=99 | Completed | Sponsor: He Eye Hospital | Not yet recruiting ➔ Completed | N=202 ➔ 99

Enrollment change • Trial completion • Diabetes • Dry Eye Disease • Metabolic Disorders • Ophthalmology

Impact of 0.05% Cyclosporine A on Visual Quality in Patients with Post-refractive Surgery Dry Eye (ChiCTR) - P4 | N=52 | Recruiting | Sponsor: the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University; the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University

New P4 trial • Dry Eye Disease • Ophthalmology

A nationwide population-based study on epidemiologic characteristics and treatment patterns of dry eye disease in South Korea. (PubMed, Sci Rep) - "Single-use hyaluronic acid (HA) was most commonly prescribed (43.0%), followed by bottled steroids (24.5%), bottled HA (19.6%), and bottled diquafosol (4.3%). Annual prescriptions of cyclosporine and single-use steroids increased over time. Older patients were more likely to receive bottled formulations than single-use medication. This is the first nationwide study to examine DED prescription patterns on a large-scale population basis in South Korea, and the findings highlight the accessibility of HA-based therapies within a universal health coverage system, offering a distinct perspective compared to global patterns."

Journal • Dry Eye Disease • Ophthalmology

Topical Pharmacologic Treatments for Dry Eye Disease: A Systematic Review. (PubMed, Ocul Surf) - "Current topical pharmacologic eye products improved signs, and sometimes symptoms, of DED and were well tolerated. Treatment selection should use a shared decision-making approach that takes DED etiology and patient preferences into account."

Journal • Review • Dry Eye Disease • Inflammation • Ocular Inflammation • Ophthalmology

Comparison of the Therapeutic Effects of Rebamipide and Diquafosol on Apoptotic Damage of the Ocular Surface in Dry Eyes. (PubMed, Antioxidants (Basel)) - "DED was induced in vivo in C57BL/6 mice using subcutaneous scopolamine injection. Both treatments improved clinical outcomes in the murine dry eye model; however, REB showed superior efficacy in reducing ROS levels, lipid peroxidation, and apoptosis, and in preserving corneal glycocalyx integrity and conjunctival goblet cell density. These findings highlight the therapeutic potential and protective effects of REB against oxidative stress-related damage and apoptosis in DED."

Journal • Dry Eye Disease • Ocular Inflammation • Ophthalmology • CASP3 • CD4 • IFNG

Which topical ophthalmic drugs work best for Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca? A systematic review and meta-analysis. (PubMed, Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol) - "The study concluded that cyclosporine therapy offers improvements in corneal fluorescein staining but does not significantly affect other common DED symptoms, such as OSDI, TBUT, and Schirmer test scores. Similarly, no significant improvements in DED symptoms were observed with loteprednol etabonate or diquafosol sodium. Further research is needed to explore the efficacy of these treatments in managing DED symptoms more comprehensively."

Journal • Retrospective data • Conjunctivitis • Dry Eye Disease • Ocular Infections • Ocular Inflammation • Ophthalmology • Sjogren's Syndrome

Dry Eye Disease Management Via Technological Methods: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis. (PubMed, Ophthalmol Ther) - "These findings underscore the potential of advanced technological interventions in the short-term management of DED and support the need for standardized, long-term comparative studies."

Journal • Retrospective data • Dry Eye Disease • Ophthalmology

Efficacy of 3% diquafosol sodium eye drops at different frequencies in the treatment of dry eye after FS-LASIK. (PubMed, Int J Ophthalmol) - "Within 1mo post-FS-LASIK, applying DQS six times daily is superior to four daily applications in improving CFS score, and in increasing NIBUT meanwhile. After 1mo, applying DQS four times daily also effectively alleviate DE symptoms and improve DE signs. Therefore, we recommend DE patients using DQS eye drops 6 times daily within 1mo after FS-LASIK, and maintaining it 4 times daily until 3mo postoperatively."

Journal • Dry Eye Disease • Ocular Inflammation • Ophthalmology

Uni-Bio Science Group Receives NMPA Approval for Diquafosol Sodium Eye Drops, Advancing Dry Eye Syndrome Treatment in China (The Manila Times) - "Uni-Bio Science Group Limited...proudly announces that its new ophthalmology product, Diquafosol Sodium Eye Drops, has received marketing approval from the China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) [Approval Number: 國藥准字H20254149]."

China approval • Dry Eye Disease • Ophthalmology

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-Related Sjögren's Syndrome: An Ocular Immune-Related Adverse Event. (PubMed, Diagnostics (Basel)) - "A 67-year-old male with metastatic human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive oropharyngeal cancer receiving pembrolizumab (anti-programmed cell death protein 1 [PD-1] immune checkpoint inhibitor) presented with bilateral ocular dryness...Treatment with topical fluorometholone 0.1% and diquafosol 3% led to complete symptom resolution within one year while maintaining cancer immunotherapy. Long-term follow-up over 3.5 years demonstrated sustained ocular improvement and a favorable oncologic response without development of systemic autoimmune manifestations. This case highlights that Sjögren's syndrome as an irAE may present with isolated ocular manifestations, which could be overlooked in clinical practice."

Adverse events • Checkpoint inhibition • Journal • Conjunctivitis • Dry Eye Disease • Head and Neck Cancer • Immunology • Ocular Infections • Ocular Inflammation • Oncology • Ophthalmology • Oropharyngeal Cancer • Sjogren's Syndrome • Solid Tumor

Comparing Efficacy and Safety of TJO-083 in Dry Eye Diseases Patients (clinicaltrials.gov) - P3 | N=271 | Completed | Sponsor: Taejoon Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. | Recruiting ➔ Completed | Trial completion date: Mar 2025 ➔ Jul 2024 | Trial primary completion date: Dec 2024 ➔ May 2024

Trial completion • Trial completion date • Trial primary completion date • Dry Eye Disease • Ophthalmology