Ophthalmic disease management company Harrow Inc. (NASDAQ:HROW) on Thursday shared outcomes from a prospective, randomized, contralateral-eye clinical study.
The research evaluated the efficacy of IHEEZO (chloroprocaine hydrochloride ophthalmic gel) 3%, an ocular surface anesthetic, during same-day bilateral intravitreal injections (IVT).
According to the company, IHEEZO demonstrated statistically significant advantages at every measured time point.
Significant Reduction In Discomfort
Patients receiving IHEEZO reported an approximate 58% overall decrease in discomfort compared to their fellow eye treated with proparacaine.
Investigators noted these statistically significant improvements across all four post-procedure assessments.
The medication achieved the most substantial absolute treatment differences right after the injection, which typically represents the period of highest discomfort for the patient.
Sustained Patient Relief
At the two-minute mark, absolute treatment differences equaled 1.62 points, with discomfort scores registering at 1.44 for IHEEZO versus 3.06 for the control solution.
One hour post-injection, the absolute difference reached 1.56 points, as patients scored their discomfort at 1.26 with IHEEZO compared to 2.82 for the fellow eye.
This noticeable reduction in pain remained consistent and evident through the final 24-hour evaluation.
Analyst Sees Attractive Long-Term Growth For Harrow
William Blair on Thursday noted that the findings are important, as patient comfort is an important part of IVT injections, and the discomfort associated with current anesthetic and antiseptic protocols has been cited as an important contributing factor to poor compliance.
Analyst Lachlan Hanbury-Brown on Thursday wrote that these results also provide further evidence supporting a potential positive outcome from the ongoing Phase IV QUELL study expected to read out later this year, while also supporting continued adoption by retina specialists.
Harrow is advancing its position as a leader in the U.S. ophthalmic pharmaceutical market with the growth of its FDA-approved franchise. William Blair maintains the Outperform rating for the stock.
“We think the seasonality in the company’s underlying business could drive some volatility in the stock, but we believe the long-term growth outlook is attractive,” Hanbury-Brown wrote in an investor note on Thursday.
Harrow Price Action
HROW Stock Price Activity: Harrow shares were down 1.33% at $41.50 at the time of publication on Friday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
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