INN monograph
Nepafenac
Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drug [EPC] · POM
Verified · Updated 01 Aug 2026 · Source: Local active-ingredient clinical extract; FDA drug label via OpenFDA/DailyMed; Professional class pharmacology (Therapeutic agent (verify pharmacological class))
Kenya market
Wholesale / list prices where loaded
Risk first
Contraindications
- 4 CONTRAINDICATIONS ILEVRO ® 0.3% is contraindicated in patients with previously demonstrated hypersensitivity to any of the ingredients in the formula or to other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
- Hypersensitivity to any of the ingredients in the formula or to other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS).
Precautions
- 5 WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS Increased bleeding time due to interference with thrombocyte aggregation ( 5.1 ) Delayed healing ( 5.2 ) Corneal effects including keratitis ( 5.3 ) 5.1 Increased Bleeding Time With some NSAIDs including ILEVRO ® 0.3%, there exists the potential for increased bleeding time due to interference with thrombocyte aggregation.
- There have been reports that ocularly applied nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may cause increased bleeding of ocular tissues (including hyphema) in conjunction with ocular surgery.
- It is recommended that ILEVRO ® 0.3% be used with caution in patients with known bleeding tendencies or who are receiving other medications which may prolong bleeding time. 5.2 Delayed Healing Topical NSAIDs including ILEVRO ® 0.3%, may slow or delay healing.
- Topical corticosteroids are also known to slow or delay healing.
- Concomitant use of topical NSAIDs and topical steroids may increase the potential for healing problems. 5.3 Corneal Effects Use of topical NSAIDs may result in keratitis.
- In some susceptible patients, continued use of topical NSAIDs may result in epithelial breakdown, corneal thinning, corneal erosion, corneal ulceration, or corneal perforation.
- These events may be sight threatening.
- Patients with evidence of corneal epithelial breakdown should immediately discontinue use of topical NSAIDs including ILEVRO ® 0.3% and should be closely monitored for corneal health.
- Postmarketing experience with topical NSAIDs suggests that patients with complicated ocular surgeries, corneal denervation, corneal epithelial defects, diabetes mellitus, ocular surface diseases (e.g., dry eye syndrome), rheumatoid arthritis, or repeat ocular surgeries within a short period of time may be at increased risk for corneal adverse events, which may become sight threatening.
- Topical NSAIDs should be used with caution in these patients.
- Postmarketing experience with topical NSAIDs also suggests that use more than 1 day prior to surgery or use beyond 14 days post-surgery may increase patient risk and severity of corneal adverse events. 5.4 Contact Lens Wear ILEVRO ® 0.3% should not be administered while using contact lenses.
Point of care
Dosing
Adult
2 DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION One drop of ILEVRO ® 0.3% should be applied to the affected eye one-time-daily beginning 1 day prior to cataract surgery, continued on the day of surgery and through the first 2 weeks of the postoperative period. An additional drop should be administered 30 to 120 minutes prior to surgery. ( 2 ) 2.1 Recommended Dosing One drop of ILEVRO ® 0.3% should be applied to the affected eye one time daily beginning 1 day prior to cataract surgery, continued on the day of surgery and through the first 2 weeks of the postoperative period. An additional drop should be administered 30 to 120 minutes prior to surgery. 2.2 Use with Other Topical Ophthalmic Medications ILEVRO ® 0.3% may be administered in conjunction with other topical ophthalmic medications such as beta-blockers, carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, alpha-agonists, cycloplegics, and mydriatics. If more than one topical ophthalmic medication is being used, the medicines must be administered at least 5 minutes apart.
Paediatric
8.4 Pediatric Use The safety and effectiveness of ILEVRO ® 0.3% in pediatric patients below the age of 10 years have not been established.
Renal
Review renal impairment dosing; many agents need CrCl/eGFR adjustment.
- CrCl 0–120: Confirm renal dosing in product SmPC / primary label.
Hepatic
Review hepatic impairment dosing; monitor LFTs if agent is hepatically cleared or hepatotoxic.
Safety
Drug interactions
- Professional use: confirm indication, dose, duration, monitoring and patient counselling points against current Kenya STG / EML and the product SmPC.
- Document allergy status and key interactions.
Safety
Adverse effects
- 6 ADVERSE REACTIONS Because clinical studies are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical studies of a drug cannot be directly compared to the rates in the clinical studies of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice.
- Most common adverse reactions (5% to 10%) are capsular opacity, decreased visual acuity, foreign body sensation, increased intraocular pressure, and sticky sensation.
- ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Harrow Eye, LLC at 1-833-4HARROW or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch . 6.1 Serious and Otherwise Important Adverse Reactions The following adverse reactions are discussed in greater detail in other sections of labeling.
- Increased Bleeding Time [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] Delayed Healing [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) ] Corneal Effects [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3) ] 6.2 Ocular Adverse Reactions The most frequently reported ocular adverse reactions following cataract surgery were capsular opacity, decreased visual acuity, foreign body sensation, increased intraocular pressure (IOP), and sticky sensation.
- These reactions occurred in approximately 5% to 10% of patients.
- Other ocular adverse reactions occurring at an incidence of approximately 1% to 5% included conjunctival edema, corneal edema, dry eye, lid margin crusting, ocular discomfort, ocular hyperemia, ocular pain, ocular pruritus, photophobia, tearing, and vitreous detachment.
- Some of these reactions may be the consequence of the cataract surgical procedure. 6.3 Non-Ocular Adverse Reactions Non-ocular adverse reactions reported at an incidence of 1% to 4% included headache, hypertension, nausea/vomiting, and sinusitis.
Use
Indications
- ® 0.3% is indicated for the treatment of pain and inflammation associated with cataract surgery.
- ILEVRO ® 0.3% is a nonsteroidal, anti-inflammatory prodrug indicated for the treatment of pain and inflammation associated with cataract surgery ( 1 ).
Pharmacology
Mode of action
12.
Full mechanism text
12.1 Mechanism of Action After topical ocular dosing, nepafenac penetrates the cornea and is converted by ocular tissue hydrolases to amfenac, a NSAID. Nepafenac and amfenac are thought to inhibit the action of prostaglandin H synthase (cyclooxygenase), an enzyme required for prostaglandin production.
ADME
Pharmacokinetics & PD
| Onset | Product-specific |
|---|---|
| Duration | Product-specific |
| Route | OPHTHALMIC |
| Metabolism | of six specific marker substrates of cytochrome P450 (CYP) isozymes (CYP1A2, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, CYP2E1, and CYP3A4). Therefore, drug-drug interactions involving CYP mediated metabolism of concomitantly administered drugs are unlikely. |
Full PK/PD text
12 CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY 12.1 Mechanism of Action After topical ocular dosing, nepafenac penetrates the cornea and is converted by ocular tissue hydrolases to amfenac, a NSAID. Nepafenac and amfenac are thought to inhibit the action of prostaglandin H synthase (cyclooxygenase), an enzyme required for prostaglandin production. 12.3 Pharmacokinetics Following bilateral topical ocular once-daily dosing of ILEVRO ® 0.3%, the concentrations of nepafenac and amfenac peaked at a median time of 0.5 hour and 0.75 hour, respectively on both Day 1 and Day 4. The mean steady-state C max for nepafenac and for amfenac were 0.847 ± 0.269 ng/mL and 1.13 ± 0.491 ng/mL, respectively. Nepafenac at concentrations up to 3000 ng/mL and amfenac at concentrations up to 1000 ng/mL did not inhibit the in vitro metabolism of six specific marker substrates of cytochrome P450 (CYP) isozymes (CYP1A2, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, CYP2E1, and CYP3A4). Therefore, drug-drug interactions involving CYP mediated metabolism of concomitantly administered drugs are unlikely.
Kenya
Brands & prices
| Brand | Company | Pack | KES |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flanep | Medico Remedies Pvt. Ltd. | Standard Commercial Pack | — |
| Nevanac | Alcon Pharmaceuticals | Standard Commercial Pack | — |
Special populations
Pregnancy & lactation
Pregnancy
8.1 Pregnancy Teratogenic Effects. Pregnancy Category C: Reproduction studies performed with nepafenac in rabbits and rats at oral doses up to 10 mg/kg/day have revealed no evidence of teratogenicity due to nepafenac, despite the induction of maternal toxicity. At this dose, the animal plasma exposure to nepafenac and amfenac was approximately 70 and 630 times human plasma exposure at the recommended human topical ophthalmic dose for rats and 20 and 180 times human plasma exposure for rabbits, respectively. In rats, maternally toxic doses greater than or equal to 10 mg/kg were associated with dystocia, increased postimplantation loss, reduced fetal weights and growth, and reduced fetal survival. Nepafenac has been shown to cross the placental barrier in rats. There are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women. Because animal reproduction studies are not always predictive of human response, ILEVRO ® 0.3% should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus. Non-teratogenic Effects Because of the known effects of prostaglandin biosynthesis inhibiting drugs on the fetal cardiovascular system (closure of the ductus arteriosus), the use of ILEVRO ® 0.3% during late pregnancy should be avoided.
Lactation
8.3 Nursing Mothers Nepafenac is excreted in the milk of lactating rats. It is not known whether this drug is excreted in human milk. Because many drugs are excreted in human milk, caution should be exercised when ILEVRO ® 0.3% is administered to a nursing woman.
Diet
Food & alcohol
- Food
- Food
Trust
Sources & disclaimer
Source: Local active-ingredient clinical extract; FDA drug label via OpenFDA/DailyMed; Professional class pharmacology (Therapeutic agent (verify pharmacological class))
Last reviewed: 01 Aug 2026
Decision support only — not a substitute for clinical judgment, product SmPC, or Kenya STG/EML.