Long-acting pasireotide safe, effective for recurrent Cushing’s disease

Posted on October 20, 2017 by MaryO

October 20, 2017

In patients with persistent or recurring Cushing’s disease after surgery, monthly pasireotide was safe and effective, leading to normal urinary free cortisol levels in about 40% of patients after 12 months, according to findings from a phase 3 clinical trial.

“Surgical resection of the causative pituitary adenoma is the first-line treatment of choice for most patients with Cushing’s disease, which leads to remission in greater than 75% of patients if done by an expert pituitary surgeon,” Andre Lacroix, MD, professor in the department of medicine at University of Montreal teaching hospital, and colleagues wrote in the study background. “However, surgery is not always successful, and disease recurrence can occur several years after initial remission, while some patients refuse or are not candidates for surgery. As a result, many patients require additional treatment options.”

Lacroix and colleagues analyzed data from 150 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of persistent, recurrent or new Cushing’s disease with mean urinary free cortisol level concentration 1.5 to five times the upper limit of normal, normal or greater than normal plasma and confirmed pituitary source of Cushing’s disease. Patients were recruited between December 2011 and December 2014; those who received mitotane therapy within 6 months, pituitary irradiation within 10 years or previous pasireotide treatment were excluded. Researchers randomly assigned patients to 10 mg (n = 74) or 30 mg (n = 76) monthly intramuscular pasireotide (Signifor LAR, Novartis) for 12 months, with investigators and patients masked to the group allocation and dose. Pasireotide was up-titrated from 10 mg to 30 mg or from 30 mg to 40 mg at month 4, or at month 7, 9 or 12 if urinary free cortisol concentrations remained greater than 1.5 times the upper limit of normal. At month 12, patients considered to be receiving clinical benefit from the therapy (mean urinary free cortisol concentration at or less than the upper limit of normal) could continue to receive it during an open-ended extension phase. The primary outcome was to assess the proportion of patients achieving mean urinary free cortisol concentration less than or equal to the upper limit of normal by month 7, regardless of dose.

Within the cohort, 41.9% of patients in the 10-mg group and 40.8% of patients in the 40-mg group met the primary endpoint at month 7, whereas 5% of patients in the 10-mg group and 13% of patients in the 40-mg group achieved partial control. Researchers did not observe between-sex differences or differences in response among those who did or did not undergo previous surgery.

The number of patients who achieved the primary endpoint at month 7 without an up-titration in dose was smaller, but not significantly different between the 10-mg and 40-mg dose groups (28.4% and 31.6%, respectively), according to researchers. Among those who received an up-titration in dose in the 10-mg and 40-mg groups (42% and 37%, respectively), 32% and 25%, respectively, were considered responders at month 7.

Researchers also observed improvements in several metabolic parameters during the 12-month course of treatment with both doses, including improvements in systolic and diastolic blood pressure; reductions in waist circumference, BMI and body weight; and improvement in scores for the Cushing’s Quality of Life questionnaire. The most common adverse events were hyperglycemia, diarrhea, cholelithiasis, diabetes and nausea.

The researchers noted that, in both dose groups, the reductions in mean urinary free cortisol concentration were observed within 1 month, with concentrations remaining below baseline levels for the 12-month study period.

“This large phase 3 trial showed that long-acting pasireotide administered for 12 months can reduce [median urinary free cortisol] concentrations, is associated with improvements in clinical signs and [health-related quality of life] and has a similar safety profile to that of twice-daily pasireotide,” the researchers wrote, adding that the long-acting formulation provides a convenient monthly administration schedule. – by Regina Schaffer

Disclosures: Novartis funded this study. Lacroix reports he has received grants and personal fees as a clinical investigator, study steering committee member and advisory board member for Novartis, Stonebridge and UpToDate. Please see the study for all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.

From https://www.healio.com/endocrinology/adrenal/news/in-the-journals/%7B55988079-312b-478d-8788-036a465b1881%7D/long-acting-pasireotide-safe-effective-for-recurrent-cushings-disease

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Cortisol Modulator Shows Early Signs of Safety, Efficacy in Healthy Volunteers

Posted on October 11, 2017 by MaryO

The glucocorticoid receptor antagonist CORT125134 is safe and has shown preliminary signs of efficacy in healthy volunteers participating in a Phase 1 trial, say researchers in England.

Their study, “Assessment of Safety, Tolerability, Pharmacokinetics, and Pharmacological Effect of Orally Administered CORT125134: An Adaptive, Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Phase 1 Clinical Study,” appeared in the journal Clinical Pharmacology in Drug Development.”

Cortisol signaling is indirectly controlled by the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). When cortisol binds the GR, the receptor becomes activated and migrates to the nucleus, where it regulates the expression of many genes. This influences a myriad of processes, including inflammation, immune response and brain function.

CORT125134, also known as relacorilant, is being developed by Corcept Therapeutics of Menlo Park, California, for Cushing’s disease patients and others who may benefit from it. The drug is a GR antagonist, blocking the receptor’s activity.

In order to evaluate the safety and tolerability of CORT125134, and learn how it behaves in the body, Corcept researchers conduced a Phase 1 trial in healthy subjects.

The British study, conducted at the Quotient Clinical in Nottingham, included 81 adults who received a single ascending-dose of CORT125134 or placebo, and 48 subjects who received multiple-ascending doses of the drug versus placebo.

Single doses were tested in nine distinct groups. Six tested six different doses of CORT125134, one tested a 150 mg dose in subjects receiving a high-fat meal, and two groups included patients receiving prednisone (a well-known GR activator), prednisone plus Korlym (mifepristone), or prednisone plus CORT125134.

Korlym is a medicine approved for Cushing’s  patients with high blood sugar levels due to high cortisol in circulation. But the drug targets the progesterone receptor and is associated with side effects like pregnancy termination and irregular vaginal bleeding.

Multiple doses, given for up to 14 days, were tested in four additional cohorts. Researchers observed that CORT125134 was rapidly absorbed and eliminated, presenting a suitable profile for once-daily dosing.

Efficacy was determined by CORT125134’s ability to counteract the effects of prednisone. In addition, a single dose of 500 mg or multiple dosing with 250 mg had similar effects as those seen with 600 mg of Korlym — the therapeutic dose used for Cushing’s treatments.

Most common treatment-related adverse events reported in the single-ascending dose part of the study were nausea, vomiting and thirst; most were mild. In those given multiple-ascending doses, adverse events included mild musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders, as well as gastrointestinal system disorders.

Multiple 500 mg doses exceeded the maximum tolerated dose, as it led to musculoskeletal symptoms that forced researchers to stop treatment.

“This first-in-human study has demonstrated that CORT125134 is well tolerated following single doses up to 500 mg and repeated doses up to 250 mg once daily for 14 days,” researchers wrote. “Pharmacological activity was confirmed following the administration of a single 500-mg dose and daily administration of 250 mg.”

Corcept is now enrolling participants into a Phase 2 open-label trial (NCT02804750) to evaluate CORT125134 in patients with Cushing’s syndrome. This trial is being conducted in the United States and Europe and will include 80 participants. Top-line results are expected in the first quarter of 2018.

From https://cushingsdiseasenews.com/2017/10/10/phase-1-data-demonstrates-efficacy-safety-of-cort125134-in-healthy-volunteers/

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Crinetics Pharmaceuticals Awarded Two SBIR Grants to Develop New Therapeutics for Congenital Hyperinsulinism and Cushing’s Disease

Posted on September 7, 2017 by MaryO

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 06, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Crinetics Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a rare disease therapeutics company focused on endocrine disorders and endocrine-related cancers, announced today that it was awarded two new grants from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that could total $2.4 million. Both are Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants and include a Fast Track grant for up to $2.1 million and a Phase I grant of $0.3 million, which will be used for the development of Crinetics’ nonpeptide, oral somatostatin agonists for congenital hyperinsulinemia, and the discovery of novel small molecule drugs for Cushing’s disease, respectively.

“We are delighted with the NIH’s continuing support of our programs to develop new drugs for patients with rare endocrine disorders,” said Stephen Betz, Ph. D., Founder and Vice President of Biology of Crinetics. “These awards will enable us to advance our efforts in both hyperinsulinemia and Cushing’s disease, expanding our pipeline to include these diseases with significant unmet medical needs, and bring these treatments to the patients who need them.”

Presently, there are no medical therapies that were specifically developed to treat the life-threatening chronic hypoglycemia precipitated by congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI). The current options for patients are limited to drugs developed for other purposes in the hope that they might help. Despite their poor profiles, these drugs are prescribed because the next line of treatment is typically a partial or full pancreatectomy. Even when successful, patients who undergo the surgery often become diabetic and must actively manage glucose with multiple daily insulin injections for the rest of their lives.

Similarly, first line treatments for Cushing’s disease are surgical and involve removal of either the ACTH-secreting tumor in the pituitary or the adrenal glands themselves. As this is often unsuccessful, contraindicated or delayed, medical therapy for these patients becomes necessary. Current treatment options include inhibitors of steroid synthesis enzymes that can prevent the production of cortisol and improve symptoms, but these treatments also induce a host of unwanted side effects due to the accumulation of other steroid products.

About Congenital Hyperinsulinism (CHI)

Hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia (HH) is one of the most frequent causes of persistent hypoglycemia in infants and can result in seizures, developmental delays, learning disabilities, and even death. The most severe form of HH is inherited and referred to as CHI. CHI largely results from mutations in key genes in the insulin secretion pathway in the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas.

About Cushing’s Disease

Clinical signs of Cushing’s syndrome include growth of fat pads (collarbone, back of neck, face and trunk), excessive sweating, dilation of capillaries, thinning of the skin, muscle weakness, hirsutism, depression/anxiety, hypertension, osteoporosis, insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, heart disease, and a range of other metabolic disturbances resulting in high morbidity. If inadequately controlled in its severe forms, Cushing’s syndrome is associated with high mortality. The most common form of Cushing’s syndrome is Cushing’s disease which is caused by microadenomas of pituitary corticotropic cells that secrete excess adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH).

About the NIDDK

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) conducts and supports research on diabetes and other endocrine and metabolic diseases; digestive diseases, nutrition, and obesity; and kidney, urologic, and hematologic diseases. Spanning the full spectrum of medicine and afflicting people of all ages and ethnic groups, these diseases encompass some of the most common, severe, and disabling conditions affecting Americans. For more information about the NIDDK and its programs, visit www.niddk.nih.gov.

About Crinetics Pharmaceuticals

Crinetics Pharmaceuticals discovers and develops novel therapeutics targeting peptide hormone receptors for the treatment of rare endocrine disorders and endocrine-related cancers. Crinetics was founded by a team of scientists with a proven track record of endocrine drug discovery and development to create important new therapeutic options for endocrinologists and their patients. The company is backed by top life sciences investors, 5AM Ventures, Versant Ventures, and Vivo Capital and is headquartered in San Diego. For more information, please visit www.crinetics.com.

More: http://www.pharmiweb.com/pressreleases/pressrel.asp?ROW_ID=241628#.WbFJGNN97-Y

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The burden of Cushing’s disease: clinical and health-related quality of life aspects

Posted on August 13, 2017 by MaryO


Thanks to Robin Ess for the easy to read chart!

Abstract

Objective Cushing’s disease (CD) is a rare endocrine disorder characterized by excess secretion of ACTH due to a pituitary adenoma. Current treatment options are limited and may pose additional risks. A literature review was conducted to assess the holistic burden of CD.

Design Studies published in English were evaluated to address questions regarding the epidemiology of CD, time to diagnosis, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), treatment outcomes, mortality, prevalence of comorbidities at diagnosis, and reversibility of comorbidities following the treatment.

Methods A two-stage literature search was performed in Medline, EMBASE, and Science Citation Index, using keywords related to the epidemiology, treatment, and outcomes of CD: i) articles published from 2000 to 2012 were identified and ii) an additional hand search (all years) was conducted on the basis of bibliography of identified articles.

Results At the time of diagnosis, 58–85% of patients have hypertension, 32–41% are obese, 20–47% have diabetes mellitus, 50–81% have major depression, 31–50% have osteoporosis, and 38–71% have dyslipidemia. Remission rates following transsphenoidal surgery (TSS) are high when performed by expert pituitary surgeons (rates of 65–90%), but the potential for relapse remains (rates of 5–36%). Although some complications can be partially reversed, time to reversal can take years. The HRQoL of patients with CD also remains severely compromised after remission.

Conclusions These findings highlight the significant burden associated with CD. As current treatment options may not fully reverse the burden of chronic hypercortisolism, there is a need for both improved diagnostic tools to reduce the time to diagnosis and effective therapy, particularly a targeted medical therapy.

Introduction

Cushing’s disease (CD) is a rare condition caused by a pituitary adenoma that secretes excess ACTH (1), which promotes excess cortisol production from the adrenal glands. Excess cortisol induces a clinical phenotype that harbors all components of the metabolic syndrome, such as central obesity, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and hypertension, as well as muscle weakness, hirsutism, increased bruisability, psychological dysfunction, and osteoporosis (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11).

Patients with CD experience a significant clinical burden due to comorbidities, increased mortality, and impaired health-related quality of life (HRQoL) due to prolonged exposure to elevated cortisol levels (3, 5, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20). In particular, patients with CD often experience severe fatigue and weakness, physical changes, emotional instability, depression, and cognitive impairments, which have a profound impact on daily life (13, 21).

Although there have been several consensus statements published recently on the definition of remission, diagnosis, and the management of CD, the severity and diversity of the clinical scenario and associated morbidities continue to present a management challenge (1, 22, 23). Additionally, there is recent evidence of persistent deleterious effects after remission, most notably persistent elevated cardiovascular risk (3, 22). The main objective of the current literature review is to describe the current burden of the disease and to summarize data on specific aspects of this burden, which underscores the need for improved diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.

Materials and methods

Available literature were evaluated to address questions regarding the epidemiology of CD, time to diagnosis, mortality, prevalence of comorbidities at diagnosis, reversibility of comorbidities after treatment (in particular, after disease remission), outcomes and complications of current treatment options, and HRQoL associated with CD and interventions.

The literature search was performed in Medline, EMBASE, and Science Citation Index, using keywords related to the epidemiology, treatment, and outcomes of CD. It was conducted in two stages: i) articles published between 2000 and 2012 were identified through a PubMed search using the following keywords: CD, incidence, prevalence, mortality, treatment, remission, cure, excess cortisol, outcomes, cost, QoL, morbidities, transsphenoidal surgery (TSS), adrenalectomy, radiotherapy, steroidogenesis inhibitors, ketoconazole, mitotane, aminoglutethimide, etomidate, metyrapone, pasireotide, and cortisol receptor antagonists; and ii) an additional hand search was conducted on the basis of the bibliographies of identified articles. All studies that provided data (regardless of publication year) related to these research questions were retained.

Definitions

Different criteria for defining the remission of hypercortisolism have been proposed, ranging from the occurrence of definitive or transient postoperative hypocortisolemia to the adequate suppression of cortisol after dexamethasone administration. According to a recent consensus statement (23), persistent postoperative morning serum cortisol levels of <2 μg/dl (∼50 nmol/l) are associated with remission and a low recurrence rate of ∼10% at 10 years. Persistent serum cortisol levels above 5 μg/dl (∼140 nmol/l) for up to 6 weeks following surgery require further evaluation. When serum cortisol levels are between 2 and 5 μg/dl, the patient can be considered in remission and can be observed without additional treatment for CD. A subset of patients can even develop complete adrenal insufficiency (serum cortisol levels below 2 μg/dl (∼50 nmol/l)) up to 12 weeks postsurgery (24, 25). Therefore, repeated evaluation in the early postoperative period is recommended. However, long-term follow-up is necessary for all patients because no single cortisol cutoff value excludes those who later experience disease recurrence, and up to 25% of patients develop a recurrent adenoma within 10 years after surgery (26, 27, 28).

Results

Incidence and prevalence of CD

Although epidemiologic data on CD are limited, several population-based studies indicate an incidence of 1.2–2.4 per million (14, 19) and the prevalence of diagnosed cases to be ∼39 per million population (14). Lindholm et al. (19) used the case definition as either the presence of a corticotroph adenoma or remission after neurosurgery, which yielded an estimated incidence rate of 1.2–1.7 per million per year. Etxabe & Vazquez (14) reported an incidence of 2.4 per million in Vizcaya, Spain. A large-scale retrospective survey carried out in New Zealand by Bolland et al. (29) found the approximate prevalence of all forms of Cushing’s syndrome (CS) (the majority of these cases were of pituitary origin) to be 79 per million and the incidence to be 1.8 per million per year. Differences in epidemiologic estimates may be attributable to varying case definitions (for instance, the study by Lindholm excluded cases in which the adenoma could not be localized or those that could not achieve remission from surgery), geographical differences, and temporal effects. The prevalence of CD may be underestimated due to unrecognized patients with mild symptoms and patients with a cyclic form of CD (30).

Time to diagnosis

Data on the time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis are also limited. In a prospective study by Flitsch et al. (31) of 48 patients with pituitary adenomas, including 19 who had ACTH-secreting adenomas causing CD, the reported time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis was 4.3 years. A study by Martinez Ruiz et al. (32), which was based on only four pediatric CD patients, reported the time between onset of symptoms and diagnosis as ranging from 2.5 to 5 years. Etxabe & Vazquez (14) estimated that the average time from onset of clinical symptoms to diagnosis in 49 CD patients was 45.8±2.7 months (6–144 months), thus 3.8 years. This is corroborated by the findings from a Belgian cross-sectional study on pituitary adenomas including CD, which estimated that patients experienced symptoms for an average of 45 months before diagnosis (33). However, the reliability and generalizability of these data are limited by small sample sizes and the retrospective nature of the studies. Indeed, the New Zealand data from Bolland et al. (29) report that on presentation, patients experienced symptoms for a median of 2.0 years (but ranging up to 20 years) before diagnosis. On the basis of data from the prospective European Registry on Cushing’s syndrome (ERCUSYN) (total number of patients=481, of whom 66% of patients had CD), median delay in diagnosis was 2 years (34).

Mortality in patients with CD

Mortality in patients with CD has been analyzed in several small studies, with overall rates reported as standardized mortality ratio (SMR) ranging from 1.7 to 4.8 (Table 1) (14, 15, 17, 19). In studies in which mortality was assessed among those in remission and those with persistent disease separately, patients with persistent hypercortisolemia consistently had the highest mortality risk (15, 19, 35, 36). In addition, TSS as a first-line treatment has been an important advance as high remission rates after initial surgery have been accompanied by mortality rates that mirror those observed in the general population (17, 35, 37). In a case series from the UK, it was found that the majority of deaths occurred before 1985, which was before TSS was employed as the routine first-line treatment at the center (36). In a recent retrospective study, 80 patients undergoing TSS for CD between 1988 and 2009 were evaluated, and long-term cure (defined as ongoing absence of hypercortisolism at last follow-up) was reported in 72% of patients. However, overall elevated mortality persisted in patients (SMR 3.17 (95% CI: 1.70–5.43)), including those who achieved ‘cure’ (SMR 2.47 (95% CI: 0.80–5.77)), although even higher mortality was seen in those with postoperative recurrence/persistent disease (SMR 4.12 (95% CI: 1.12–10.54) (38). Additionally, a nationwide, retrospective study in New Zealand reported significant persistently increased mortality both in macro- and microadenomas (SMR 3.5 (1.3–7.8) and 3.2 (2.0–4.8) respectively), despite long-term biochemical remission rates of 93 and 91% of patients, respectively (29).

Read more at http://m.eje-online.org/content/167/3/311.full

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A Phase III Study of Osilodrostat to Treat Cushing’s Disease

Posted on July 26, 2017 by MaryO

CLCI699C2302: A Phase III, Multi-center, Randomized, Double-blind, 48 Week Study with an Initial 12 Week Placebo-controlled Period to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of Osilodrostat in Patients with Cushing’s Disease

Purpose

In people with a disorder known as Cushing’s disease, levels of the hormone cortisol are very high in the urine and blood. Lowering cortisol levels relieves the symptoms of Cushing’s disease. Osilodrostat is an investigational drug that inhibits an enzyme needed for cortisol to be made.

In this study, researchers are assessing the safety and effectiveness of osilodrostat in patients with Cushing¿s disease and observing its ability to reduce cortisol levels. In the first 12 weeks of the study, patients will receive osilodrostat or a placebo (inactive drug). After week 12 and continuing through week 48, all patients will receive osilodrostat. Patients will then have the option to continue taking osilodrostat for up to 100 weeks into the study, if they wish.

Osilodrostat is taken orally (by mouth).

Eligibility

To be eligible for this study, patients must meet several criteria, including but not limited to the following:

  • Patients must have Cushing¿s disease with elevated levels of cortisol in the urine.
  • An acceptable amount of time must have passed between the completion of prior therapies and entry into the study, to allow for a sufficient “washout” period.
  • This study is for patients ages 18 to 75.

For more information about this study and to inquire about eligibility, please contact Dr. Eliza Geer at 646-888-2627.

Protocol

17-351

Phase

III

Investigator

Eliza B. Geer

Co-Investigators

Monica Girotra

Diseases

Pituitary Tumor

Locations

Memorial Sloan Kettering Memorial Hospital

From https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/clinical-trials/17-351

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