Harrow Reports Over 50% Reduction in Eye Injection Discomfort

Ophthalmic disease management company Harrow Inc. reported results from a prospective, randomized, controlled ocular clinical study on Thursday.

The study evaluated IHEEZO 3%, an ocular surface anesthetic, in same-day bilateral intravitreal injections.

According to the company, IHEEZO demonstrated statistically significant superiority at all measured time points.

Significant Reduction in Discomfort

Patients treated with IHEEZO reported an approximately 58% reduction in overall discomfort compared to the fellow eye treated with proparacaine.

Researchers noted statistically significant improvements observed across all four post-operative assessments.

The drug achieved its greatest absolute treatment difference immediately after injection, a period typically representing the peak of patient discomfort.

Durable Relief for Patients

At two minutes post-injection, the absolute treatment difference was 1.62 points, with IHEEZO scoring 1.44 for discomfort versus 3.06 for the control solution.

At one hour post-injection, the absolute difference reached 1.56 points, with patients rating discomfort at 1.26 on IHEEZO versus 2.82 in the control eye.

This pronounced pain relief remained consistent and evident through the final 24-hour assessment.

Analysts Bullish on Harrow's Long-Term Growth Prospects

William Blair noted Thursday that these findings are significant because patient comfort is a key component of IVT injections, and discomfort associated with existing anesthesia and antisepsis protocols has been cited as a major factor contributing to poor patient compliance.

Analyst Lachlan Hanbury-Brown said Thursday that the results further support the potential for positive outcomes from the ongoing Phase 4 QUELL study, which is expected to read out later this year, while also supporting continued adoption by retina specialists.

Harrow is advancing its leadership position in the U.S. ophthalmic pharmaceutical market through growth in its FDA-approved product portfolio. William Blair maintained an Outperform rating on the stock.

"We believe seasonality in the company's base business could cause some volatility in the shares, but we believe the long-term growth prospects are attractive," Hanbury-Brown wrote in an investor note Thursday.

Harrow Stock Performance

HROW price action: As of Friday's data release, Harrow shares were down 1.33% at $41.50.