Novartis Pulls EMA Filing for Dry Eye Disease Treatment

Novartis has withdrawn a filing with the European Medicines Agency for its Xiidra (lifitegrast), a treatment for moderate-to-severe dry eye disease.

The agency said that the drug’s effectiveness was not demonstrated for all symptoms of the disease and that the benefits did not outweigh its risks.

Novartis said it withdrew its application because it could not address the agency’s concerns within the available timeframe.