Switching patients with acromegaly from octreotide to pasireotide improves biochemical control: crossover extension to a randomized, double-blind, Phase III study.

BACKGROUND: Many patients with acromegaly do not achieve biochemical control with first-generation somatostatin analogues. A large, multicenter, randomized, Phase III core study demonstrated that pasireotide LAR had significantly superior efficacy over octreotide LAR. This analysis explores the efficacy and safety of switching therapeutic arms in inadequately controlled patients during a 12-month crossover extension. METHODS: Patients with inadequate biochemical control (GH ≥2.5 µg/L and/or IGF-1 > ULN) at end of core study (month 12) were eligible to switch to pasireotide LAR 40 mg/28 days (n = 81) or octreotide LAR 20 mg/28 days (n = 38). One dose escalation to pasireotide LAR 60 mg/28 days or octreotide LAR 30 mg/28 days was permitted, but not mandatory, at month 17 or 20. RESULTS: Twelve months after crossover, 17.3 % of pasireotide LAR and 0 % of octreotide LAR patients achieved GH <2.5 µg/L and normal IGF-1 (main outcome measure); 27.2 and 5.3 % of pasireotide LAR and octreotide LAR patients achieved normal IGF-1, respectively; 44.4 and 23.7 % of pasireotide LAR and octreotide LAR patients achieved GH <2.5 µg/L, respectively. Mean (±SD) tumor volume further decreased from the end of the core study by 25 % (±25) and 18 % (±28); 54.3 % of pasireotide LAR and 42.3 % of octreotide LAR patients achieved significant (≥20 %) tumor volume reduction during the extension. The safety profile of pasireotide LAR was similar to that of octreotide LAR, with the exception of the frequency and degree of hyperglycemia-related adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Pasireotide LAR is a promising treatment option for patients with acromegaly inadequately controlled with the first-generation somatostatin analogue octreotide LAR. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov, NCT00600886 . Registered 14 January 2008.

Pasireotide LAR maintains inhibition of GH and IGF-1 in patients with acromegaly for up to 25 months: results from the blinded extension phase of a randomized, double-blind, multicenter, Phase III study.

PURPOSE: A large, randomized, double-blind, Phase III core study demonstrated that pasireotide LAR was significantly superior to octreotide LAR at providing GH <2.5 µg/L and normalized IGF-1 after 12 months' treatment in patients with acromegaly. We report the efficacy and safety of pasireotide LAR and octreotide LAR after up to 26 months' treatment. METHODS: Patients with GH <2.5 µg/L and IGF-1 ≤1× ULN at month 12, or patients considered to be experiencing clinical benefit, were eligible to continue receiving their randomized therapy in the extension. Efficacy and safety in the pasireotide LAR and octreotide LAR groups were evaluated for up to 26 months. RESULTS: Overall, 120 patients who completed the core study continued receiving pasireotide LAR (n = 74) or octreotide LAR (n = 46) in the extension. At month 25, biochemical control (GH <2.5 µg/L and normal IGF-1) was achieved by 48.6% (36/74) and 45.7% (21/46) of patients in the pasireotide LAR and octreotide LAR arms [60.8% (45/74) and 52.2% (24/46) when including patients with IGF-1 < LLN], respectively. In total, 74.7% of pasireotide LAR and 71.6% of octreotide LAR patients had tumor volume decrease ≥20% from baseline to month 26. Most AEs were mild or moderate. Hyperglycemia-related AEs were seen in 62.9 and 25.0% of pasireotide LAR and octreotide LAR patients, respectively. No new safety signals were observed in the extension compared with the core study. CONCLUSIONS: GH and IGF-1 suppression is maintained for up to 25 months during pasireotide LAR treatment. The safety profile of pasireotide LAR is typical of a somatostatin analogue, except for the frequency and degree of hyperglycemia.

Long-term efficacy and safety of subcutaneous pasireotide in acromegaly: results from an open-ended, multicenter, Phase II extension study.

Pasireotide has a broader somatostatin receptor binding profile than other somatostatin analogues. A 16-week, Phase II trial showed that pasireotide may be an effective treatment for acromegaly. An extension to this trial assessed the long-term efficacy and safety of pasireotide. This study was an open-label, single-arm, open-ended extension study (primary efficacy and safety evaluated at month 6). Patients could enter the extension if they achieved biochemical control (GH ≤ 2.5 µg/L and normal IGF-1) or showed clinically relevant improvements during the core study. Thirty of the 60 patients who received pasireotide (200-900 µg bid) in the core study entered the extension. At extension month 6, of the 26 evaluable patients, six were biochemically controlled, of whom five had achieved control during the core study. Normal IGF-1 was achieved by 13/26 patients and GH ≤ 2.5 µg/L by 12/26 at month 6. Nine patients received pasireotide for ≥24 months in the extension; three who were biochemically controlled at month 24 had achieved control during the core study. Of 29 patients with MRI data, nine had significant (≥20%) tumor volume reduction during the core study; an additional eight had significant reduction during the extension. The most common adverse events were transient gastrointestinal disturbances; hyperglycemia-related events occurred in 14 patients. Twenty patients had fasting plasma glucose shifted to a higher category during the extension. However, last available glucose measurements were normal for 17 patients. Pasireotide has the potential to be an effective, long-term medical treatment for acromegaly, providing sustained biochemical control and significant reductions in tumor volume.

Phase I dose-escalation study of long-acting pasireotide in patients with neuroendocrine tumors.

This phase I study aimed at determining the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and characterizing the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PKs), and efficacy of pasireotide in patients with advanced neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). Patients were enrolled in two phases: dose-escalation phase (to determine the MTD) at a starting dose of 80 mg pasireotide long-acting release (LAR) i.m. followed by a dose-expansion phase (to evaluate safety and prelimi-nary efficacy). Associations between PK/pharmacodynamic parameters and clinical outcomes were evaluated using linear regression analysis. A total of 29 patients were treated with 80 mg (n=13) and 120 mg (n=16) doses. Most common primary tumor sites included small intestine (44.8%), pancreas (24.1%), and lung (17.2%). No protocol-defined dose-limiting toxicities were observed in the study; however, in post hoc analysis, a higher incidence of bradycardia (heart rate [HR] <40 beats per minute [bpm]) was observed with 120 mg (31.3%) vs 80 mg (0%). Two partial responses (PRs) were observed, both in the 120 mg dose cohort. Pasireotide concentrations correlated with tumor shrinkage, although the association was not statistically significant (P=0.08). Among the biomarkers analyzed, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) showed a decreasing trend with increasing pasireotide concentration, while chromogranin A (CgA) and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) levels did not show any dose-response relationship. The most common adverse events in any dose group were hyperglycemia, fatigue, and nausea. MTD was defined at 120 mg for pasireotide LAR in patients with advanced NETs. Although objective radiographic responses were rarely observed with somatostatin analogs, two PRs were observed among 16 patients in the 120 mg cohort. Bradycardia (HR <40 bpm) appears to be a dose-limiting effect; however, the mechanism and clinical significance are uncertain. This study was registered with clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01364415).

Management of hyperglycemia associated with pasireotide (SOM230): healthy volunteer study.

AIMS: Pasireotide, a multireceptor-targeted somatostatin analogue with efficacy in Cushing's disease and acromegaly, can affect glucose metabolism due to inhibition of insulin secretion and incretin hormone responses. A study was therefore conducted to evaluate different antihyperglycemic drugs in the management of pasireotide-associated hyperglycemia. METHODS: This was a 1-week, Phase I, open-label study. Healthy male volunteers were randomized to pasireotide 600 µg sc bid alone or co-administered with metformin 500 mg po bid, nateglinide 60 mg po tid, vildagliptin 50mg po bid, or liraglutide 0.6 mg sc qd. An oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed on days 1 and 7 to evaluate effects on serum insulin, plasma glucose and glucagon levels. Safety/tolerability and pharmacokinetic effects were also evaluated. RESULTS: Ninety healthy male volunteers were enrolled (n=18 per arm). After 7 days of treatment, plasma glucose AUC post-OGTT increased by 69% with pasireotide alone. The effect was reduced by 13%, 29%, 45% and 72% with co-administration of metformin, nateglinide, vildagliptin and liraglutide, respectively. On day 7, compared with pasireotide alone, the decrease in serum insulin was attenuated with nateglinide, metformin, liraglutide and vildagliptin co-administration (levels were 3%, 6%, 34% and 71% higher, respectively). Minimal changes in plasma glucagon were observed. Adverse events were consistent with the safety profiles of the drugs used. CONCLUSIONS: Vildagliptin and liraglutide were most effective in minimizing pasireotide-associated hyperglycemia in healthy volunteers.

Comparación de la utilidad del estudio transoperatorio y la biopsia por aspiración con aguja delgada en lesiones de tiroides. Analisis de casos discordantes en biopsias por aspiración / Comparison of utility of intraoperative examination and fine needle aspiration biopsy in thyroid lesions. Analysis of discrepant cases in aspiration biopsies

Introducción. Actualmente, el procedimiento más útil para el diagnóstico de nódulos tiroideos y para la selección de pacientes que requieren tratamiento quirúrgico es la biopsia por aspiración con aguja delgada (BAAD). La certeza diagnóstica de la BAAD ha llevado a cuestionar la utilidad del estudio transoperatorio (TOP) para definir la conducta quirúrgica. Objetivo. Comparar la certeza diagnóstica de la BAAD con la del TOP en pacientes con nódulos tiroideos tratados quirúrgicamente en un centro de tercer nivel. Analizar los casos discordantes en BAAD y sus causas. Material y métodos. Se compararon los diagnósticos TOP efectuados durante dos años (1997-98) con los diagnósticos preoperatorios efectuados mediante BAAD de nódulos tiroideos. El estándar de oro fue el diagnóstico realizado en cortes de la pieza quirúrgica incluidos en parafina. Se revisaron los expedientes clínicos y las laminillas de las BAAD de casos discordantes. Resultados. De un total de 1014 estudios TOP, 136 (13.4 por ciento) fueron de tiroides; de éstos, la mitad correspondieron a neoplásias malignas y el resto correspondió a adenomas y lesiones no neoplásicas. En el análisis para la discriminación de lesiones neoplásicas malignas y benignas, los resultados para los estudios de TOP y BAAD fueron respectivamente: sensibilidad 89 por ciento (IC: 78.2-95.1) y 97.7 por ciento (IC: 86.8-99.9), especificidad 100 por ciento (IC: 93.1-100) y 90 por ciento (IC: 90.4-96.7), valor predictivo positivo: 100 por ciento y 91.6 por ciento, valor predictivo negativo 90.4 por ciento y 97.3 por ciento, y certeza diagnóstica igual (94.6 por ciento y 94.1 por ciento). Las causas de mala clasificación son iguales a las informadas en otros estudios, e incrementan en gran medida el porcentaje de falsos positivos y negativos.Conclusiones. La BAAD es un procedimiento útil para el diagnóstico de nódulos tiroideos y para la selección de pacientes que deben ser sometidos a tratamiento quirúrgico. El estudio TOP es indispensable en aquellos casos en que la BAAD no ha sido concluyente, y en las lesiones en las que el diagnóstico depende en gran parte del aspecto macroscópico de la pieza quirúrgica.