A Phase III, single-arm study of LNG-IUS 8, a low-dose levonorgestrel intrauterine contraceptive system (total content 13.5mg) in postmenarcheal adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the safety profile of the low-dose levonorgestrel intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) total content 13.5mg (average approximate release rate 8µg/24h over the first year; LNG-IUS 8; Jaydess®) in adolescents. STUDY DESIGN: In a Phase III study in 36 European centers, 304 healthy nulliparous or parous postmenarcheal adolescents (12-17years) received LNG-IUS 8 for 12months. The primary outcome was the incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs). Secondary outcomes included: serious TEAEs, adverse events of special interest, overall user satisfaction, discontinuation rate at 12months, and Pearl Index. RESULTS: LNG-IUS 8 placement was successful in 303/304 participants (99.7%). Overall, 82.6% of participants reported TEAEs, and serious TEAEs and serious study drug-related TEAEs were reported by 7.6% and 1.0% of participants, respectively. No cases of pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy, or uterine perforation were reported. No pregnancies were reported during the 12-month study. At Month 12/study end, the overall user satisfaction rate was 83.9%. Overall, 51 participants (16.8%) prematurely discontinued the study before 12months; 13.8% of participants discontinued owing to TEAEs. CONCLUSIONS: No new or unexpected safety events were associated with the low-dose LNG-IUS 8. The safety profile of LNG-IUS 8 in adolescents was consistent with that previously reported in adults. The high overall user-satisfaction rate at study end and the low discontinuation rate over 12months demonstrate that LNG-IUS 8 is a highly acceptable contraceptive method among adolescents. IMPLICATIONS: This study is the first to assess the low-dose levonorgestrel intrauterine system LNG-IUS 8 (average approximate release rate 8µg/24h over the first year and total content 13.5mg) specifically in females<18years of age and confirms the safety and efficacy of LNG-IUS 8 in an adolescent population.

Phase III, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of gemcitabine/cisplatin alone or with sorafenib for the first-line treatment of advanced, nonsquamous non-small-cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE: This trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of sorafenib plus gemcitabine/cisplatin in chemotherapy-naive patients with unresectable stage IIIB to IV nonsquamous non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between February 2007 and March 2009, 904 patients were randomly assigned to daily sorafenib (400 mg twice a day) or matching placebo plus gemcitabine (1,250 mg/m(2) per day on days 1 and 8) and cisplatin (75 mg/m(2) on day 1) for up to six 21-day cycles. Because of safety findings from the Evaluation of Sorafenib, Carboplatin and Paclitaxel Efficacy in NSCLC (ESCAPE) trial, patients with squamous cell histology were withdrawn from the trial in February 2008 and excluded from analysis. The primary end point was overall survival (OS), and secondary end points included progression-free survival (PFS) and time-to-progression (TTP). RESULTS: The primary analysis population consisted of 772 patients (sorafenib, 385; placebo, 387); the two groups had similar demographic and baseline characteristics. Median OS was similar in the sorafenib and placebo groups (12.4 v 12.5 months; hazard ratio [HR], 0.98; P = .401). By investigator assessment, sorafenib improved median PFS (6.0 v 5.5 months; HR, 0.83; P = .008) and TTP (6.1 v 5.5 months; HR, 0.73; P < .001). Grade 3 to 4 drug-related adverse events more than two-fold higher in the sorafenib group included hand-foot skin reaction (8.6% v 0.3%), fatigue (7.3% v 3.6%), rash (5.7% v 0.5%), and hypertension (4.2% v 1.8%). No unexpected toxicities were observed. CONCLUSION: This study did not meet its primary end point of improved OS when sorafenib was added to first-line gemcitabine/cisplatin in patients with advanced nonsquamous NSCLC. Identification of predictive biomarkers is warranted in future trials of sorafenib.