Ocular Safety Profile of BRAF and MEK Inhibitors: Data from the World Health Organization Pharmacovigilance Database

Purpose: BRAF inhibitors (BRAFi) and MEK inhibitors (MEKi) significantly improved metastatic melanoma prognosis. Ocular adverse effects (OAEs) represent an uncommon but disabling toxicity of these drugs. We aimed to characterize the ocular safety profile of BRAFi or MEKi and to detect possible safety signals.

Methods: We performed a retrospective, observational, pharmacovigilance study using VigiBase, the World Health Organization global safety database. Ocular adverse effects were classified according to the eye segments and the inflammatory pattern based on the Standardization of Uveitis Nomenclature. Associations among BRAFi monotherapy, MEKi monotherapy, and BRAFi+MEKi combination therapy and OAE reporting were assessed using disproportionality analysis. Results were expressed with the reporting odds ratio (ROR) and its 95% confidence interval (CI).

Results: From January 2010 to October 2019, 1568 OAE cases were reported with BRAFi or MEKi. Among them, 1006 cases with sufficient data were included, corresponding to 310 (30.8%), 124 (12.3%), and 572 (56.9%) cases reported with BRAFi, MEKi, or BRAFi+MEKi combination therapy, respectively. BRAF inhibitor monotherapy was significantly associated with the reporting of iris and ciliary body abnormalities (ROR, 8.7; 95% CI, 6.0-12.5), diffuse abnormalities (ROR, 7.1; 95% CI, 5.4-9.4), anterior uveitis (ROR, 8.6; 95% CI, 6.0-12.1), and panuveitis (ROR, 7.1; 95% CI, 5.4-9.4). MEK inhibitor monotherapy was associated with the reporting of retinal and choroid abnormalities (ROR, 9.5; 95% CI, 7.4-12.2), diffuse abnormalities (ROR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.1-6.1), and panuveitis (ROR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.1-6.1). Combinations of BRAFi and MEKi therapies were associated with OAEs from both drugs, with a possible synergistic or additive effect for diffuse abnormalities and panuveitis.

Conclusions: Our study characterizes the ocular safety profile of BRAFi and MEKi. We identify possible safety signals for several OAEs not previously reported with BRAFi and MEKi. Our data provide the rationale for a personalized management of OAE in patients with BRAFi+MEKi combination therapy according to the type of ocular reaction.