Prevalence and incidence of cyclic vomiting syndrome in Japan: A study using Japanese claims data.

Cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS) is a gastrointestinal disorder that is characterized by recurrent episodes of vomiting. Previous studies have provided reliable data on the prevalence of CVS among children in Japan; however, neither prevalence data nor incidence of CVS is available for adults. Hence, we obtained detailed prevalence and incidence data for CVS and estimated the total number of CVS cases in Japan. This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted using the JMDC (JMDC, Inc.; formerly known as Japan Medical Data Center Co., Ltd.,) database, which is a de-identified Japanese claims database. Individuals enrolled between January 2017 and December 2017 were included in this study. Longitudinal data for eligible populations were used to identify patients who displayed CVS symptoms throughout the follow-up period. Due to the lack of a specific diagnosis code for CVS in 2017, the Rome IV criteria were applied to identify CVS cases in the pediatric and adult populations. The prevalence was standardized to the 2017 Japanese census and extrapolated to estimate the number of CVS cases. A total of 2,093 patients with CVS were identified from 3,506,144 individuals. The overall age-and-sex-standardized prevalence was 0.32 per 1,000 population (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.30-0.34), projected to approximately 49,000 patients with CVS across Japan. The pediatric age-and-sex-standardized prevalence was 2.10 per 1,000 population (95% CI: 2.01-2.19), and the adult prevalence was 0.05 per 1,000 population (95% CI: 0.04-0.06). Marked sex differences were observed before and after 12 years of age. Thus our study provides the first large-population-based estimates of CVS prevalence and incidence in Japan, and currently, the only estimates for adult CVS in Japan.

Efficacy and Safety of Vonoprazan in Patients With Nonerosive Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Phase 3 Study.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the efficacy and safety of vonoprazan on heartburn symptoms in patients with nonerosive reflux disease (NERD) (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02954848). METHODS: This phase 3, double-blind, placebo-controlled study included Japanese patients aged 20 years and older with grade N/M NERD and recurrent heartburn. Patients received placebo (n = 245) or vonoprazan 10 mg (n = 238) for 4 weeks. The primary efficacy outcome was frequency of heartburn experienced by patients during the treatment period (proportion of days without heartburn). Other outcomes included cumulative improvement rates of heartburn, proportion of patients with complete heartburn resolution in the fourth week of treatment, and safety. RESULTS: Compared with placebo, the proportion of days without heartburn was not significantly higher in the vonoprazan group in the full analysis (primary end point, 72.55% vs 61.50%, vonoprazan vs placebo, P = 0.0643) but was significantly higher in the per-protocol-set sensitivity analysis (P = 0.0341). Early onset of response and significantly greater cumulative improvement rates of heartburn were observed in the vonoprazan group (P = 0.0003). In a post hoc analysis, a greater proportion of patients with complete heartburn resolution in the fourth week of treatment were reported in the vonoprazan group (P = 0.0023). Incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events was similar between treatment groups (23.5% vs 23.3%); most treatment-emergent adverse events were mild in severity. DISCUSSION: Although vonoprazan 10 mg was not superior to placebo with respect to proportion of days without heartburn in Japanese patients with NERD, vonoprazan had a significantly higher cumulative rate of heartburn resolution and was well tolerated.

Efficacy and safety of leuprorelin acetate 6-month depot in prostate cancer patients: a Phase III, randomized, open-label, parallel-group, comparative study in Japan.

OBJECTIVE: Leuprorelin acetate (TAP-144-SR) is commonly used worldwide in prostate cancer patients. This study was conducted to assess the non-inferiority of a 6-month depot formulation of TAP-144-SR (TAP-144-SR [6M]) 22.5 mg to a 3-month depot formulation of TAP-144-SR (TAP-144-SR [3M]) 11.25 mg in prostate cancer patients in Japan. METHODS: This was a 48-week Phase III, open-label, parallel-group comparative study. TAP-144-SR (6M) 22.5 mg (6M group) and TAP-144-SR (3M) 11.25 mg (3M group) were administered to 81 and 79 subjects, respectively. The primary endpoint was the rate of serum testosterone suppression to the castrate level (≤100 ng/dl). RESULTS: Serum testosterone of all subjects excluding one subject in the 3M group was suppressed to the castrate level throughout 48 weeks. The estimated between-group difference (6M group - 3M group) in suppression rate was 1.3% (95% confidence interval: -3.4, 6.8), and its lower confidence interval was more than -10% of the pre-determined allowable limit value to judge the non-inferiority. The prostate-specific antigen concentrations were stable throughout the study in both groups. Progressive disease in the best overall response based on the Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors was 0.0% for the 6M group and 2.6% for the 3M group. Adverse events occurred in 92.6% in the 6M group and 89.9% in the 3M group. Adverse events leading to discontinuation were reported in 2.5% in the 6M group and 3.8% in the 3M group. CONCLUSIONS: TAP-144-SR (6M) was not inferior to TAP-144-SR (3M) for the suppressive effect on serum testosterone level. TAP-144-SR (6M) was also as well tolerated as TAP-144-SR (3M).

Cost-Effectiveness of Proton Pump Inhibitor Co-Therapy in Patients Taking Aspirin for Secondary Prevention of Ischemic Stroke.

BACKGROUND: Low-dose aspirin (ASA) is effective for secondary prevention of ischemic stroke but can increase the risks of hemorrhagic stroke, upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB), and dyspepsia. Prophylactic administration of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) reduces the risks of these digestive symptoms. We investigated the cost effectiveness of adding a PPI to ASA therapy for ischemic stroke patients in Japan. METHODS: A Markov state-transition model was developed to compare the cost effectiveness of ASA monotherapy with ASA plus PPI co-therapy in patients with histories of upper gastrointestinal ulcers and ischemic stroke. The model takes into account ASA adherence rate and adverse effects due to ASA, including hemorrhagic stroke and UGIB. The analysis was performed from the perspective of healthcare payers in 2013. RESULTS: In the base case, total life-years by PPI co-therapy and monotherapy were 16.005 and 15.932, respectively. The difference in duration of no therapy (no ASA or PPI) between the therapies was 558.5 days, which would prevent 30.3 recurrences of ischemic stroke per 1000 person-years. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of PPI co-therapy relative to monotherapy was ¥1,191,665 (US$11,458) per life-year gained. In a one-way sensitivity analysis, PPI co-therapy was consistently cost effective at a willingness to pay of ¥5,000,000 (US$48,077) per life-year gained. In a probabilistic sensitivity analysis, the probability that PPI co-therapy was cost effective was 89.74% at the willingness to pay. CONCLUSIONS: Co-therapy with ASA plus PPI appears to be cost-effective compared with ASA monotherapy. The addition of PPI also appeared to prolong the duration of ASA therapy, thereby reducing the risk of ischemic stroke.

[A phase II pharmacological study of leuprolide acetate 6-month depot, TAP-144-SR (6M), in treatment-Nazve patients with prostatic cancer who received a single subcutaneous or intramuscular injection].

The aim of this phase II study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, efficacy, and safety of a 6- month depot formulation of a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) agonist, TAP-144-SR (6M), in Japanese treatment-naÏve patients with prostatic cancer. Each subject received a single subcutaneous or intramuscular injection of TAP- 144-SR (6M) and was monitored for 24 weeks. The primary endpoint was the change in serum testosterone levels. The serum testosterone level in six subjects who received 22.5 mg of TAP-144 (SR) subcutaneously decreased below the castrate level after 4 weeks and remained suppressed during the 24 weeks of follow-up. With regard to safety, TAP-144-SR (6M)was not associated with any additional concerns compared to those reported for the approved 1-month and 3-month depot formulations of TAP-144-SR. In addition, 30 mg of TAP-144-SR (6M) was administered subcutaneously to six subjects, and, on the basis of the results, the optimal clinical dosage of TAP-144-SR (6M) in Japan was considered to be 22.5 mg. Outcomes with 22.5mg TAP-144-SR (6M) administered intramuscularly were similar to those with TAP-144-SR (6M) administered subcutaneously.

Biased safety reporting in blinded randomized clinical trials: meta-analysis of angiotensin receptor blocker trials.

BACKGROUND: Cough is listed as an adverse drug reaction (ADR) on the labels of angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB). However, a causal association with cough has also been reported for angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI), which have frequently been used as comparator drugs in the registration clinical trials of ARBs. This prompted us to examine the possible influence of using comparator drugs with well-known ADRs on the safety reporting of investigational drugs in blinded randomized clinical trials. METHODS AND FINDINGS: The double-blinded, randomized clinical trials with comparator drugs were identified in the Japanese dossiers for the new drug applications of ARBs. The risk ratios (RR) of reporting cough and headache in ARB arms were calculated for each ARB by comparing trials using ACEIs and trials using non-ACEIs, were then combined with a meta-analysis. 23 trials with a total of 6643 patients were identified, consisting 6 trials using an ACEI comparator including 819 ARB patients and 17 trials using a non-ACEI comparator including 5824 ARB patients. The combined RR of cough reporting was significantly elevated (20.77; 95% confidence interval [CI], 7.47 to 57.76), indicating more frequent reporting of cough in clinical trials using an ACEI comparator. In contrast, the combined RR of headache, a negative control, was insignificant (1.45; 95% CI, 0.34 to 6.22). CONCLUSION: The use of comparators with well-known ADRs in blinded randomized trials produces potential bias in the reporting frequency of ADRs for investigational drugs. The selection of appropriate comparator drugs should be critical in unbiased safety assessment in double-blinded, randomized clinical trials and thus have relevance in reviewing the safety results from a regulatory point of view.