An advance in ophthalmic pharmacology. The use of the epinephrine pro-drug dipivalyl epinephrine in the treatment of glaucoma.

The development and use of dipivalyl epinephrine, an epinephrine pro-drug, represents a major advance in the pharmacological treatment of open angle glaucoma. Relative to its less lipid soluble parent compound, dipivefrin has been shown in clinical trials to control intraocular pressure effectively at concentrations 10-20 times less than epinephrine with a resultant decreased incidence of ocular and systemic side effects.