Pixantrone dimaleate versus other chemotherapeutic agents as a single-agent salvage treatment in patients with relapsed or refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma: a phase 3, multicentre, open-label, randomised trial.

BACKGROUND: Pixantrone dimaleate (pixantrone)--a novel aza-anthracenedione--was synthesised to reduce anthracycline-related cardiotoxicity without compromising antitumour efficacy. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of pixantrone versus an investigator's choice of a single-agent therapy in heavily pretreated patients with relapsed or refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma. METHODS: In this phase 3, multicentre, open-label, randomised trial at 66 hospitals in Europe, India, Russia, South America, the UK, and the USA, patients with histologically confirmed aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma who had relapsed after two or more previous chemotherapy regimens were randomly assigned (1:1) by an interactive voice response system to treatment with pixantrone dimaleate (85 mg/m(2) intravenously on days 1, 8, and 15 of a 28-day cycle, for up to six cycles) or to a comparator (vinorelbine, oxaliplatin, ifosfamide, etoposide, mitoxantrone, or gemcitabine) given at prespecified standard doses and schedules. Patients were stratified by region, International Prognostic Index score, and previous stem-cell transplantation. Patients and investigators were not masked to treatment assignment; however, an independent assessment panel was masked. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients with a complete or unconfirmed complete response in the intention-to-treat (ITT) population at the end of treatment. Primary analyses of efficacy were based on the independent assessment panel's data review. The study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00088530. FINDINGS: The ITT population comprised 70 patients randomly assigned to the pixantrone group and 70 to the comparator. Five patients (two in the pixantrone group and three in the comparator group) dropped out before receiving their study drug. 14 patients (20·0% [95% CI 11·4-31·3]) who received pixantrone achieved a complete or unconfirmed complete response at end of treatment compared with four patients (5·7% [1·6-14·0]) in the comparator group (p = 0·021). The most common grade 3 or 4 adverse events in patients given pixantrone were uncomplicated, non-cumulative neutropenia (28 [41·2%] of 68 patients vs 13 [19·4%] of 67 patients in the comparator group), leucopenia (16 [23·5%] vs five [7·5%]), and thrombocytopenia (eight [11·8%] vs seven [10·4%]). INTERPRETATION: Pixantrone, given as a single-agent salvage therapy in heavily pretreated patients with relapsed or refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma, is efficacious and tolerable. It could be a treatment option for patients whose aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma has failed to respond to at least two previous chemotherapy regimens. FUNDING: Cell Therapeutics, Inc.

Pixantrone dimaleate in combination with fludarabine, dexamethasone, and rituximab in patients with relapsed or refractory indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma: phase 1 study with a dose-expansion cohort.

BACKGROUND: Pixantrone dimaleate (pixantrone) has been shown to have antitumor activity in leukemia and lymphoma in vitro models and to lack delayed cardiotoxicity associated with mitoxantrone in animal models. FND-R, a combination regimen of fludarabine, mitoxantrone, dexamethasone, and rituximab, has been shown to be an effective regimen for low-grade lymphomas. METHODS: This dose-escalation study, with an expansion cohort, was conducted to evaluate the safety and preliminary efficacy of FPD-R, in which pixantrone was substituted for mitoxantrone in the FND-R regimen, in patients with relapsed or refractory indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Escalated doses of pixantrone were administered to newly enrolled patients on day 2 of each 28-day cycle of FPD-R. RESULTS: Twenty-eight of 29 enrolled patients received at least 1 cycle of FPD-R (median, 5 cycles). Pixantrone 120 mg/m(2) was identified as the recommended dose in this regimen. Grade 3-4 adverse events were primarily hematologic; grade 3-4 lymphopenia occurred in 89% of patients and leukopenia in 79%. No patients developed congestive heart failure or grade 3-4 cardiac adverse events. Left ventricular ejection fraction decreases occurred in 8 (29%) patients, and most were grade 1 or 2, transient, and asymptomatic. The overall response rate was 89%. Estimated survival was 96% after 1 year and 92% after 3 years. CONCLUSIONS: The FPD-R regimen was well-tolerated and highly active in patients with relapsed or refractory indolent NHL.

Efficacy and safety of two dosing regimens of tadalafil and patterns of sexual activity in men with diabetes mellitus and erectile dysfunction: Scheduled use vs. on-demand regimen evaluation (SURE) study in 14 European countries.

AIM: The aim of this article is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of 20-mg tadalafil taken on demand or three times per week and its effect on the sexual activity of patients with diabetes mellitus and erectile dysfunction (ED). METHODS: The scheduled use vs. on-demand regimen evaluation (SURE) was a randomized, crossover, open-label study with 4,262 patients in 14 European countries. The efficacy measures for the 762 patients with diabetes and ED included changes from baseline in the erectile function (EF) domain of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), and the proportion of "yes" responses to patient Sexual Encounter Profile (SEP) questions 2 (SEP2) and 3 (SEP3). The treatment satisfaction was measured with responses to SEP question 4 (SEP4) and SEP question 5 (SEP5), and sexual attempts data were collected. Patient preference for either regimen was determined by the treatment preference question (TPQ). RESULTS: At end point on both regimens, the mean IIEF EF domain score was 22, and >40% of the patients had a normal EF domain score (> or =26). The proportion of "yes" responses was > or =73% for SEP2 (penetration), > or =58% for SEP3 (successful intercourse), >46% for SEP4 (hardness of erection), and > or =45% for SEP5 (overall satisfaction). Efficacy was maintained up to 36 hours post-dosing. More than 70% of sexual attempts while on the three-times-per-week regimen and approximately 50% of the attempts on the on-demand treatment occurred >4 hours post-dosing. Tadalafil was well tolerated, with dyspepsia and headache as the most frequent adverse events reported. Treatment preference was 57.2% for on demand and 42.8% for three times per week. CONCLUSIONS: Tadalafil, when taken on demand or three times per week, is efficacious and safe in men with diabetes and ED.

Efficacy, safety, and treatment satisfaction of tadalafil versus placebo in patients with erectile dysfunction evaluated at tertiary-care academic centers.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the efficacy, safety, and treatment satisfaction of tadalafil 20 mg for erectile dysfunction (ED) in patients evaluated at tertiary-care academic centers. METHODS: In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, patients were randomly allocated to receive fixed-dose tadalafil 20 mg (n = 146) or placebo (n = 49) for 12 weeks. Efficacy was assessed by the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), Sexual Encounter Profile (SEP), and Global Assessment Question (GAQ); patient and partner treatment satisfaction by the Erectile Dysfunction Inventory of Treatment Satisfaction (EDITS) and SEP; and safety by adverse events, laboratory values, and vital signs. RESULTS: Mean baseline IIEF erectile function (EF) domain was 12.98. Fifty-one percent of enrolled patients had severe baseline ED, and 82% had organic ED. Pre-existing, ED-associated comorbid conditions were common. When compared with patients treated with placebo, those receiving tadalafil reported significant improvement from baseline in the IIEF EF domain (P <0.001), successful penetration attempts (SEP question 2; P <0.001), successful intercourse (SEP question 3; P <0.001), and all secondary efficacy outcomes (P <0.001). Patients and their sexual partners were also significantly more satisfied with tadalafil treatment (P <0.001), including overall satisfaction (P <0.001) and length of time the treatment worked (P <0.001). Mild or moderate headache, dyspepsia, and myalgia were the most frequent treatment-emergent adverse events reported. CONCLUSIONS: Tadalafil significantly improved erectile function and patient and partner satisfaction and was well tolerated. These results were observed in a tertiary-care, academic center population with a high incidence of severe, organic ED, and comorbid medical conditions, factors known to compromise erectile function and treatment outcome.