Cenegermin shows lasting benefits for neurotrophic keratopathy after corneal transplant
An 8-week course of cenegermin 0.002% significantly improved corneal healing and reduced epithelial defect size in patients with neurotrophic keratopathy (NK) following penetrating keratoplasty (PK), with benefits lasting up to 6 months, according to a study.
In this retrospective case series from a tertiary care center, 14 patients with NK post-PK received an 8-week course of cenegermin. Researchers tracked changes in NK stage, epithelial healing, defect size, and best-corrected visual acuity across several time points during and after treatment.
Key findings include:
- Significant improvement in NK stage as early as 4 weeks into treatment, with benefits sustained up to 6 months post-treatment.
- Complete epithelial healing was achieved in over 40% of patients at 1 month and remained around 38% at 6 months after therapy.
- Epithelial defect size shrank dramatically from a baseline average of 37.24 mm² to less than 5 mm² at all follow-up points.
- Visual acuity did not show significant improvement, though most patients experienced structural healing.
- Only 2 patients (14.3%) showed disease progression over 6 months of follow-up.
The findings support the use of cenegermin as a treatment option for promoting corneal healing in patients with NK following corneal transplant surgery.
Reference
Zaloga AR, Khalili A, Ayres BD, et al. Utility of cenegermin for the management of neurotrophic keratopathy after penetrating keratoplasty. Oman J Ophthalmol. 2025;18(2):198-204. doi: 10.4103/ojo.ojo_311_24. PMID: 40666776; PMCID: PMC12258841.
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