Trial Outcomes & Findings for Research Study To See How Well An Eye Drop (SURF-200) Works, What Side Effects There Are, And To Compare It With Vehicle In Subjects With An Episodic Flare-Up of Dry Eye Disease (NCT NCT04734210)

NCT ID: NCT04734210

Last Updated: 2025-06-04

Results Overview

The UNC DEMS scale is a participant-specific 10-point scale with a minimum score of 1 (\[1-2\] My symptoms are not a problem. My dry eye does not affect my daily life at all) and a maximum score of 10 (\[9-10\] my symptoms are severe and I need immediate medical care. My dry eye greatly affects my daily life). Participants with a minimum reduction of ≥1 point in UNC DEMS score from baseline were defined as responders, and response rates were summarized by treatment group.

Recruitment status

COMPLETED

Study phase

PHASE2

Target enrollment

139 participants

Primary outcome timeframe

Baseline and Day 8

Results posted on

2025-06-04

Participant Flow

Study periods: Dosing Days 1-14. Follow-up (FU) to Day 28: Responders continued in the study; non-responders discontinued. Responders had to have a reduction of ≥1 unit in UNC DEMS score and a ≥0.5 point reduction in conjunctival hyperemia grade (study eye) compared to baseline. FU to Day 70 or rebound: Responders were followed up to Day 70 or rebound. Rebound was defined as worsening in UNC DEMS score of ≥1 unit and a worsening in conjunctival hyperemia of ≥0.5 point (study eye).

Prior to each participant's assignment by chance to one of the three treatment arms/groups (randomization), the Investigator designated the participant's Study Eye. The participant's Study Eye was the eye that was eligible for the study and had the worst signs and symptoms. The participant's other eye was called the Fellow Eye.

Unit of analysis: Study eyes

Participant milestones

Participant milestones
Measure
SURF-200 (0.02% Betamethasone Sodium Phosphate in Vehicle)
Eye Drops: 0.02% Betamethasone Sodium Phosphate (topical corticosteroid solution) Dosing: One drop twice daily in the study eye for 14 days.
SURF-200 (0.04% Betamethasone Sodium Phosphate in Vehicle)
Eye drops: 0.04% Betamethasone Sodium Phosphate (topical corticosteroid solution) Dosing: One drop twice daily in the study eye for 14 days.
Vehicle
Eye drops: Placebo (topical vehicle solution) Dosing: One drop twice daily in the study eye for 14 days.
Two-week Dosing Period (Days 1 - 14)
STARTED
47 47
45 45
47 47
Two-week Dosing Period (Days 1 - 14)
COMPLETED
44 44
44 44
46 46
Two-week Dosing Period (Days 1 - 14)
NOT COMPLETED
3 3
1 1
1 1
Safety Follow-up to Day 28
STARTED
44 44
44 44
46 46
Safety Follow-up to Day 28
COMPLETED
30 30
34 34
30 30
Safety Follow-up to Day 28
NOT COMPLETED
14 14
10 10
16 16
Safety Follow-up to Day 70 or Rebound
STARTED
30 30
34 34
30 30
Safety Follow-up to Day 70 or Rebound
COMPLETED
24 24
24 24
25 25
Safety Follow-up to Day 70 or Rebound
NOT COMPLETED
6 6
10 10
5 5

Reasons for withdrawal

Reasons for withdrawal
Measure
SURF-200 (0.02% Betamethasone Sodium Phosphate in Vehicle)
Eye Drops: 0.02% Betamethasone Sodium Phosphate (topical corticosteroid solution) Dosing: One drop twice daily in the study eye for 14 days.
SURF-200 (0.04% Betamethasone Sodium Phosphate in Vehicle)
Eye drops: 0.04% Betamethasone Sodium Phosphate (topical corticosteroid solution) Dosing: One drop twice daily in the study eye for 14 days.
Vehicle
Eye drops: Placebo (topical vehicle solution) Dosing: One drop twice daily in the study eye for 14 days.
Two-week Dosing Period (Days 1 - 14)
Withdrawal by Subject
1
1
0
Two-week Dosing Period (Days 1 - 14)
Protocol Violation
1
0
0
Two-week Dosing Period (Days 1 - 14)
Did not complete dosing with study drug but remained in the study for safety follow-up at Day 28.
1
0
0
Two-week Dosing Period (Days 1 - 14)
Did not dose with study drug; missed Day 8 visit and did not return dosing diary. Lost to follow-up.
0
0
1

Baseline Characteristics

Research Study To See How Well An Eye Drop (SURF-200) Works, What Side Effects There Are, And To Compare It With Vehicle In Subjects With An Episodic Flare-Up of Dry Eye Disease

Baseline characteristics by cohort

Baseline characteristics by cohort
Measure
SURF-200 (0.02% Betamethasone Sodium Phosphate in Vehicle)
n=47 Study Eyes
Eye drops: 0.02% Betamethasone Sodium Phosphate (topical corticosteroid solution) Dosing: One drop twice daily in the study eye for 14 days.
SURF-200 (0.04% Betamethasone Sodium Phosphate in Vehicle)
n=45 Study Eyes
Eye drops: 0.04% Betamethasone Sodium Phosphate (topical corticosteroid solution) Dosing: One drop twice daily in the study eye for 14 days.
Vehicle
n=47 Study Eyes
Eye drops: Placebo (topical vehicle solution) Dosing: One drop twice daily in the study eye for 14 days.
Total
n=139 Study Eyes
Total of all reporting groups
Age, Continuous
60.0 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 15.9 • n=5 Participants
60.9 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 14.1 • n=7 Participants
59.7 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 15.3 • n=5 Participants
60.2 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 15.03 • n=4 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
35 Participants
n=5 Participants
34 Participants
n=7 Participants
37 Participants
n=5 Participants
106 Participants
n=4 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
12 Participants
n=5 Participants
11 Participants
n=7 Participants
10 Participants
n=5 Participants
33 Participants
n=4 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Hispanic or Latino
14 Participants
n=5 Participants
14 Participants
n=7 Participants
13 Participants
n=5 Participants
41 Participants
n=4 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Not Hispanic or Latino
33 Participants
n=5 Participants
30 Participants
n=7 Participants
32 Participants
n=5 Participants
95 Participants
n=4 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
1 Participants
n=7 Participants
2 Participants
n=5 Participants
3 Participants
n=4 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
American Indian or Alaska Native
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
0 Participants
n=7 Participants
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
0 Participants
n=4 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Asian
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
1 Participants
n=7 Participants
3 Participants
n=5 Participants
4 Participants
n=4 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
0 Participants
n=7 Participants
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
0 Participants
n=4 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Black or African American
6 Participants
n=5 Participants
4 Participants
n=7 Participants
4 Participants
n=5 Participants
14 Participants
n=4 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
White
41 Participants
n=5 Participants
40 Participants
n=7 Participants
39 Participants
n=5 Participants
120 Participants
n=4 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
More than one race
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
0 Participants
n=7 Participants
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
0 Participants
n=4 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
0 Participants
n=7 Participants
1 Participants
n=5 Participants
1 Participants
n=4 Participants
University of North Carolina Dry Eye Management Scale (UNC DEMS) Score at Baseline
6.9 UNC DEMS units
STANDARD_DEVIATION 1.2 • n=5 Participants
7.2 UNC DEMS units
STANDARD_DEVIATION 1.1 • n=7 Participants
6.9 UNC DEMS units
STANDARD_DEVIATION 1.2 • n=5 Participants
7.0 UNC DEMS units
STANDARD_DEVIATION 1.1 • n=4 Participants
Conjunctival hyperemia score in study eye at baseline
2.2 units on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 0.4 • n=47 Study Eyes
2.3 units on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 0.4 • n=45 Study Eyes
2.4 units on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 0.4 • n=47 Study Eyes
2.3 units on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 0.4 • n=49 Study Eyes

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: Baseline and Day 8

Population: Intent-to-Treat (ITT) Population: included all randomized subjects regardless of whether post-baseline measures were collected, or study drug was received. For the ITT responder analysis, the analysis was conducted based on the observed available data without any imputation for missing data.

The UNC DEMS scale is a participant-specific 10-point scale with a minimum score of 1 (\[1-2\] My symptoms are not a problem. My dry eye does not affect my daily life at all) and a maximum score of 10 (\[9-10\] my symptoms are severe and I need immediate medical care. My dry eye greatly affects my daily life). Participants with a minimum reduction of ≥1 point in UNC DEMS score from baseline were defined as responders, and response rates were summarized by treatment group.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
SURF-200 (0.02% Betamethasone Sodium Phosphate in Vehicle)
n=47 Participants
Eye drops: 0.02% Betamethasone Sodium Phosphate (topical corticosteroid solution) Dosing: One drop twice daily in the study eye for 14 days.
SURF-200 (0.04% Betamethasone Sodium Phosphate in Vehicle)
n=45 Participants
Eye drops: 0.04% Betamethasone Sodium Phosphate (topical corticosteroid solution) Dosing: One drop twice daily in the study eye for 14 days.
Vehicle
n=46 Participants
Eye drops: Placebo (topical vehicle solution) Dosing: One drop twice daily in the study eye for 14 days.
University of North Carolina Dry Eye Management Scale (UNC DEMS) Responder Analysis
53.2 percentage of responders
Interval 38.1 to 67.9
60.0 percentage of responders
Interval 44.3 to 74.3
65.2 percentage of responders
Interval 49.8 to 78.6

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: Baseline and Day 15

Population: Intent-to-Treat (ITT) Population: included all randomized subjects regardless of whether post-baseline measures were collected, or study drug was received. For the ITT responder analysis, the analysis was conducted based on the observed available data without any imputation for missing data.

The UNC DEMS scale is a participant-specific 10-point scale with a minimum score of 1 (\[1-2\] My symptoms are not a problem. My dry eye does not affect my daily life at all) and a maximum score of 10 (\[9-10\] my symptoms are severe and I need immediate medical care. My dry eye greatly affects my daily life). Participants with a minimum reduction of ≥1 point in UNC DEMS score from baseline were defined as responders, and response rates were summarized by treatment group.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
SURF-200 (0.02% Betamethasone Sodium Phosphate in Vehicle)
n=45 Participants
Eye drops: 0.02% Betamethasone Sodium Phosphate (topical corticosteroid solution) Dosing: One drop twice daily in the study eye for 14 days.
SURF-200 (0.04% Betamethasone Sodium Phosphate in Vehicle)
n=44 Participants
Eye drops: 0.04% Betamethasone Sodium Phosphate (topical corticosteroid solution) Dosing: One drop twice daily in the study eye for 14 days.
Vehicle
n=45 Participants
Eye drops: Placebo (topical vehicle solution) Dosing: One drop twice daily in the study eye for 14 days.
University of North Carolina Dry Eye Management Scale (UNC DEMS) Responder Analysis
88.9 percentage of responders
Interval 75.9 to 96.3
93.2 percentage of responders
Interval 81.3 to 98.6
82.2 percentage of responders
Interval 67.9 to 92.0

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: Baseline and Day 8

Population: Intent-to-Treat (ITT) Population: included all randomized subjects regardless of whether post-baseline measures were collected, or study drug was received. For the ITT responder analysis, the analysis was conducted based on the observed available data without any imputation for missing data.

Conjunctival hyperemia was graded by Investigator using the scale below and clinical grade reference photos: Grade 0 (none: no hyperemia of the bulbar conjunctiva) Grade 0.5 (Grade 0 plus dilation of at least a couple of conjunctival blood vessels \[CBVs\] but less than Grade 1) Grade 1 (mild: the dilation of a few CBVs) Grade 1.5 (Grade 1 plus dilation of some CBVs but less than Grade 2) Grade 2 (moderate: the dilation of several CBVs) Grade 2.5 (Grade 2 plus dilation of many CBVs but less than Grade 3) Grade 3 (severe: the abundant and overwhelming dilation of many CBVs) Participants with a minimum reduction of ≥0.5 point in conjunctival hyperemia grade in the study eye from baseline were defined as responders, and response rates were summarized by treatment group.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
SURF-200 (0.02% Betamethasone Sodium Phosphate in Vehicle)
n=47 Participants
Eye drops: 0.02% Betamethasone Sodium Phosphate (topical corticosteroid solution) Dosing: One drop twice daily in the study eye for 14 days.
SURF-200 (0.04% Betamethasone Sodium Phosphate in Vehicle)
n=45 Participants
Eye drops: 0.04% Betamethasone Sodium Phosphate (topical corticosteroid solution) Dosing: One drop twice daily in the study eye for 14 days.
Vehicle
n=46 Participants
Eye drops: Placebo (topical vehicle solution) Dosing: One drop twice daily in the study eye for 14 days.
Conjunctival Hyperemia Responder Analysis
38.3 percentage of responders
Interval 24.5 to 53.6
62.2 percentage of responders
Interval 46.5 to 76.2
37.0 percentage of responders
Interval 23.2 to 52.5

Adverse Events

SURF-200 (0.02% Betamethasone Sodium Phosphate in Vehicle)

Serious events: 0 serious events
Other events: 0 other events
Deaths: 0 deaths

SURF-200 (0.04% Betamethasone Sodium Phosphate in Vehicle)

Serious events: 0 serious events
Other events: 0 other events
Deaths: 0 deaths

Vehicle

Serious events: 0 serious events
Other events: 0 other events
Deaths: 0 deaths

Serious adverse events

Adverse event data not reported

Other adverse events

Adverse event data not reported

Additional Information

VP, Clinical Operations

Surface Ophthalmics, Inc.

Phone: (925) 494-3660

Results disclosure agreements

  • Principal investigator is a sponsor employee
  • Publication restrictions are in place