What is Xiidra (lifitegrast)?

Xiidra is a prescription medication used to treat signs and symptoms of dry eye disease. It contains the active ingredient lifitegrast, which works by reducing inflammation in the eyes. Xiidra is available in the form of eye drops and is typically used twice daily. It helps to alleviate dryness, irritation, and discomfort associated with dry eye disease. It is important to follow the instructions provided by a healthcare professional for the proper administration of Xiidra. If any side effects or concerns arise, it is recommended to consult with a healthcare professional for further guidance.

Xiidra
Xiidra
Lifitegrast
Select product strength & quantity:

Prescription Required.

Product of Canada.

Shipped from Canada.

Prescription Required.Product of Canada.Shipped from Canada.

What is Xiidra (lifitegrast ophthalmic solution)?

Xiidra is an ophthalmic medication prescribed to treat the symptoms of dry eye disease (DED) in adult patients.

Xiidra belongs to the drug class, lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1) antagonist. This medication works to prevent and decrease the inflammation in the conjunctiva and cornea.

What are the Indications for Xiidra?

Xiidra is primarily prescribed to treat the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease (DED). Xiidra may be prescribed for other indications not listed.

Dry eye disease (DED) is a condition where your tears are unable to provide enough lubrication for your eyes. Dry eyes can occur in certain environments and situations such as an air-conditioned room, looking at a computer screen for hours, or riding in an airplane.

Symptoms of dry eyes include sensitivity to light, eye redness, difficulty wearing contact lenses, stinging, scratchy, or burning in your eyes, blurred vision, feeling of something in your eyes, or watery eyes.

Dry eye disease may be treated with lifestyle changes including treatment of medication like Xiidra. Xiidra is not recommended if you are allergic to Xiidra or any ingredients in Xiidra

How is Xiidra used?

Storage

Xiidra should be stored in its original foil pouch at room temperature between 68°F and 77°F (20°C – 25°C) away from light.

Keep out of reach of children.

Instruction

Use Xiidra as directed by your doctor, two times daily approximately 12 hours apart.

  1. When ready to use, take out a single-use vial from the foil pouch.
  2. If you wear contact lenses, take them out.
  3. Place remaining unopened vials back into the foil pouch, fold, and store.
  4. Hold the vial upright and twist the tab off.
  5. Avoid touching the tip of the open vial, tilt your head back, and place one drop of medication in each eye making sure not to touch the vial to your eye.
  6. Throw away the vial including any left-over solution right after the application; do not save any solution to be used later.
  7. If you wear contact lenses, wait 15 minutes before placing the contacts back into your eyes.

Dosage

Xiidra is available in a single-use packet containing 5% lifitegrast.

Side Effects

It’s important to understand that although Xiidra is FDA approved, it comes with side effects that may or may not affect you. Before starting Xiidra, you should discuss possible side effects with your doctor or pharmacist.

Common Side Effects

Not all side effects require medical attention. As your body adjusts to Xiidra, side effects may go away.

Tell your doctor if you experience the following symptoms, and they become severe or do not go away on their own:

  • Eye discomfort
  • Eye irritation
  • Blurred vision
  • Unusual taste sensation

Serious Side Effects

Severe adverse reactions while taking Xiidra can occur. Seek emergency medical care or call 911 if you experience any of the following symptoms:

  • Severe allergic reaction: severe rash or itching, swelling in the face, lips, tongue, or throat, rapid heartbeat, fainting or dizziness, or problems breathing or swallowing.
  • Vision problems
  • Severe eye irritation or redness

The information above does not list all possible side effects. Contact your doctor or pharmacist if you experience any side effects not listed. You or your doctor may report side effects to the FDA by calling 1-800-FDA-1088.

Warnings & Precautions

Before taking Xiidra, tell your doctor or pharmacist:

  • If you are allergic to any medications such as Xiidra
  • If you wear contact lenses
  • If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant
  • If you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed

Pregnant or planning to become pregnant

Systemic exposure from ophthalmic solution is low however there is insufficient data to determine if there are any adverse risks of using Xiidra while pregnant. Consult with your doctor to determine if you should use Xiidra while pregnant.

Symptoms of high blood pressure include severe headaches, nosebleeds,  fatigue, vision problems or confusion, chest pain, difficulty breathing, or irregular heartbeat.

Breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed

Systemic exposure from ophthalmic solution is low however data is not available to determine if Xiidra is present in human milk and how it may affect breastfed infants. Consult with your doctor to determine if you should use Xiidra while breastfeeding.

Pediatric use

Studies have not been conducted on patients under 17 years of age to determine effectiveness and safety.

Frequently Asked Questions

The active ingredient in Xiidra is lifitegrast.

Xiidra may contain the following inactive ingredients: sodium chloride, sodium phosphate dibasic anhydrous, sodium thiosulfate pentahydrate, and water for injection. Sodium hydroxide and/or hydrochloric acid (to adjust pH).

Xiidra is approved to treat the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease in adult patients.

Dry eye disease (DED) is a condition where your tears are unable to provide enough lubrication for your eyes.

Dry eyes can occur for many reasons including being in certain environments and situations such as an air-conditioned room, looking at a computer screen for hours, or riding in an airplane.

Being aware of your environment will help you prevent or reduce dry eyes. For example, if you notice your eyes are dry in the wintertime indoors, you may need a humidifier to add moisture back into the air. Or if your eyes feel dry in high-altitude places or on airplanes, close your eyes frequently to reduce the evaporation of your tears.

Place one drop of the medication in each eye two times daily, approximately 12 hours apart. Be careful not to touch the tip of the vial or touch the vial to your eyes. Dispose of any leftover solution right away.

You may start to see improvements in your symptoms after 2 weeks however the most noticeable difference is typically seen around six to twelve weeks. Results will vary with each individual.

You should not stop using Xiidra without consulting your doctor. You should take Xiidra every day as prescribed even if you are not seeing improvements in your symptoms. It may take 6-12 weeks before you see improvements.

If it has not been more than 12 hours since you missed your dose, take your missed dose immediately. If it has been more than 12 hours, skip this dose and take your next dose as scheduled.

If you took more than prescribed, contact your doctor or seek emergency medical care right away.

Yes, with a prescription, you can purchase Xiidra online. Buying medications online is convenient and often less expensive than purchasing at your local pharmacy.

You can use Xiidra with artificial tears if you need some more help with your dry eyes. Artificial tears are available over the counter. You should still check with your doctor before using Xiidra with other medications like over-the-counter or other prescription eye drops.

You can take this medication twice daily for 6-12 weeks. You will need to speak with your doctor if you feel that your symptoms related to your DED have not improved after this time. Your doctor will be able to advise you about alternate therapies or continued use of Xiidra after this timeframe has elapsed. Some patients are able to stop taking Xiidra after two weeks of treatment.

Xiidra should not make your dry eyes worse. You might have other side effects from the use of Xiidra, like blurry vision, eye irritation, and eye discomfort. You will want to talk to your doctor if you experience these side effects, as they can indicate a need to change to another protocol for your DED.

Xiidra is not known to cause stomach discomfort, diarrhea, or nausea. These symptoms have not been reported in trials. If you experience these symptoms, you will need to reach out to your doctor. These might be side effects that have not been reported yet for this medication, or they could be unrelated to your use of Xiidra.

At this time, there is no permanent cure for DED. You will be able to maintain the health and comfort of your eyes through the use of products like Xiidra, but you will not be able to cure your DED with Xiidra. Make sure that you discuss with your doctor the long-term management of your eye condition so that your eyes can remain healthy and your vision can be protected.

There is currently no reported overdose information for this medication. That being said, if you have dosed yourself incorrectly and are experiencing symptoms that you think might be related to your use of Xiidra, reach out to your doctor. You can also call your local poison control center to talk with them about a possible overdose.

Xiidra is used to treat dry eye disease, but it does not reduce the intraocular pressure that is associated with glaucoma. Glaucoma will require treatment with other medications that manage the increased pressure inside the eye. Make sure that you speak with your doctor if you have glaucoma and have been prescribed Xiidra.

Xiidra’s main active ingredient is lifitegrast. There are also other ingredients such as sodium phosphate dibasic anhydrous, sodium chloride, sodium thiosulfate pentahydrate, and water.

You can use Xiidra with contact lenses. You will need to remove your contacts to take your dose of Xiidra. You can replace your contacts fifteen minutes after you have taken your dose of Xiidra. You should talk to your doctor before you start taking Xiidra if you wear contacts.

Xiidra is taken twice a day. Each dose is delivered via one drop per eye from a single-use container. The single-use containers can be thrown away after each dose is instilled. These doses are taken 12 hours apart.

Xiidra contains lifitegrast at 50 mg/ml (5%). There are no other dosage options available for this medication.

This medication should be stored between 68 degrees and 77 degrees. These are stored in single-use containers in a foil pouch. This medication is sensitive to light, so it cannot be stored outside of the protective pouch. All unused doses of this medication need to be placed back in the pouch until they are needed.

Most patients see improvement in their dry eye disease. You might see results sooner, or it might take longer for you to see the full effect of this medication for your DED.

Xiidra is not a steroid eye drop. This is an LFA-1 antagonist that blocks the LFA-1 protein from interacting with molecules. Xiidra helps to reduce the discomfort in the eye-related to DED.

Xiidra is currently not approved for use in those younger than 17 years of age. This is why there is no data about the performance of this medication for those under 17 years of age.