Randomized Trial of Osilodrostat for the Treatment of Cushing Disease.

CONTEXT: Cushing disease, a chronic hypercortisolism disorder, is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. Normalizing cortisol production is the primary treatment goal. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of osilodrostat, a potent, orally available 11ßhydroxylase inhibitor, compared with placebo in patients with Cushing disease. METHODS: LINC 4 was a phase III, multicenter trial comprising an initial 12-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled (osilodrostat:placebo, 2:1) period followed by a 36-week, open-label treatment period (NCT02697734). Adult patients (aged 18-75 years) with confirmed Cushing disease and mean urinary free cortisol (mUFC) excretion ≥ 1.3 times the upper limit of normal (ULN) were eligible. The primary endpoint was the proportion of randomized patients with mUFC ≤ ULN at week 12. The key secondary endpoint was the proportion achieving mUFC ≤ ULN at week 36 (after 24 weeks' open-label osilodrostat). RESULTS: Seventy-three patients (median age, 39 years [range, 19-67]; mean/median mUFC, 3.1 × ULN/2.5 × ULN) received randomized treatment with osilodrostat (n = 48) or placebo (n = 25). At week 12, significantly more osilodrostat (77%) than placebo (8%) patients achieved mUFC ≤ ULN (odds ratio 43.4; 95% CI 7.1, 343.2; P < 0.0001). Response was maintained at week 36, when 81% (95% CI 69.9, 89.1) of all patients achieved mUFC ≤ ULN. The most common adverse events during the placebo-controlled period (osilodrostat vs placebo) were decreased appetite (37.5% vs 16.0%), arthralgia (35.4% vs 8.0%), and nausea (31.3% vs 12.0%). CONCLUSION: Osilodrostat rapidly normalized mUFC excretion in most patients with Cushing disease and maintained this effect throughout the study. The safety profile was favorable.

Long-term efficacy and safety of once-monthly pasireotide in Cushing's disease: A Phase III extension study.

OBJECTIVES: Many patients with Cushing's disease (CD) require chronic pharmacotherapy to control their hypercortisolism. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of long-acting pasireotide during a long-term extension study in patients with CD. DESIGN: Open-label extension to a 12-month Phase III study of long-acting pasireotide in CD (N = 150; NCT01374906). PATIENTS: Patients with mean urinary free cortisol (mUFC) ≤ upper limit of normal (ULN) or receiving clinical benefit at core study end could continue long-acting pasireotide during the extension. RESULTS: Eighty-one of 150 (54.0%) enrolled patients entered the extension. Median overall exposure to pasireotide at study end was 23.9 months; 39/81 (48.1%) patients completed the extension (received ≥ 12 months' treatment during the extension and could transit to a separate pasireotide safety study). mUFC was ≤ULN in 42/81 (51.9%), 13/81 (16.0%) and 43/81 (53.1%) patients at extension baseline, month (M) 36 and last assessment. Median mUFC remained within normal limits. Median late-night salivary cortisol was 2.6 × ULN at core baseline and 1.3 × ULN at M36. Clinical improvements were sustained over time. Forty-two (51.9%) patients discontinued during the extension: 25 (30.9%) before M24 and 17 (21.0%) after M24. Hyperglycaemia-related AEs occurred in 39.5% of patients. Mean fasting glucose (FPG) and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c ) were stable during the extension, with antidiabetic medication initiated/escalated in some patients. Sixty-six (81.5%) and 71 (88.9%) patients were classified as having diabetes (HbA1c  ≥ 6.5%, FPG ≥ 7.0 mmol/L, antidiabetic medication use, or history of diabetes) at extension baseline and last assessment. CONCLUSIONS: Long-acting pasireotide provided sustained biochemical and clinical improvements, with no new safety signals emerging, supporting its use as an effective long-term therapy for CD.