Levoketoconazole Treatment in Endogenous Cushing’s Syndrome

Posted on November 9, 2022 by MaryO

Objective: This extended evaluation (EE) of the SONICS study assessed effects of levoketoconazole for an additional 6 months following open-label, 6-month maintenance treatment in endogenous Cushing’s syndrome.

Design/Methods: SONICS included dose-titration (150–600 mg BID), 6-month maintenance, and 6-month EE phases. Exploratory efficacy assessments were performed at Months 9 and 12 (relative to start of maintenance). For pituitary MRI in patients with Cushing’s disease, a threshold of ≥2 mm denoted change from baseline in largest tumor diameter.

Results: Sixty patients entered EE at Month 6; 61% (33/54 with data) exhibited normal mean urinary free cortisol (mUFC). At Months 9 and 12, respectively, 55% (27/49) and 41% (18/44) of patients with data had normal mUFC. Mean fasting glucose, total and LDL-cholesterol, body weight, body mass index, abdominal girth, hirsutism, CushingQoL, and BDI-II scores improved from study baseline at Months 9 and 12. Forty-six patients completed Month 12; 4 (6.7%) discontinued during EE due to adverse events. The most common adverse events in EE were arthralgia, headache, hypokalemia, and QT prolongation (6.7% each). No patient experienced ALT or AST >3× ULN, QTcF interval >460 msec, or adrenal insufficiency during EE. Of 31 patients with tumor measurements at baseline and Month 12 or follow-up, largest tumor diameter was stable in 27 (87%) patients, decreased in 1, and increased in 3 (largest increase 4 mm).

Conclusion: In the first long-term levoketoconazole study, continued treatment through 12-month maintenance period sustained the early clinical and biochemical benefits in most patients completing EE, without new adverse effects.

Read the whole article at https://eje.bioscientifica.com/configurable/content/journals$002feje$002faop$002feje-22-0506$002feje-22-0506.xml?t%3Aac=journals%24002feje%24002faop%24002feje-22-0506%24002feje-22-0506.xml&body=pdf-45566

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FDA accepts NDA for novel Cushing’s syndrome treatment

Posted on May 17, 2021 by MaryO

The FDA accepted for review a new drug application for the steroidogenesis inhibitor levoketoconazole for the treatment of  endogenous Cushing’s syndrome , according to an industry press release.

“We are pleased with the FDA’s acceptance for filing of the Recorlev new drug application,” John H. Johnson, CEO of Strongbridge Biopharma, said in the release. “We believe this decision reflects the comprehensive clinical evidence that went into the NDA submission, including the positive and statistically significant efficacy and safety results from the multinational phase 3 SONICS and LOGICS studies evaluating Recorlev as a potential treatment option for adults with endogenous Cushing’s syndrome. We are advancing our commercial readiness plans and look forward to potentially bringing a new therapeutic option to the Cushing’s syndrome community in the first quarter of 2022.”

As Healio previously reported, top-line findings from the LOGICS study demonstrated that levoketoconazole (Recorlev, Strongbridge Biopharma) improved and normalized morning urinary free cortisol concentrations for adults with endogenous Cushing’s disease compared with placebo.

The drug was generally well tolerated, with safety data mirroring those from the earlier phase 3 SONICS trial.

Endogenous Cushing’s syndrome — caused by chronic hypercortisolism — is rare, with estimates ranging from 40 to 70 people per million affected worldwide, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

The FDA set a Prescription Drug User Fee Act target action date of Jan. 1, 2022, for levoketoconazole, according to the company. The FDA letter made no mention of a plan to hold an advisory committee meeting.

From https://www.healio.com/news/endocrinology/20210513/fda-accepts-nda-for-novel-cushings-syndrome-treatment

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LOGICS Trial Supports Recorlev’s Efficacy in Lowering Cortisol Levels

Posted on September 12, 2020 by MaryO

Patients with endogenous Cushing’s syndrome who stopped using Recorlev (levoketoconazole) and moved to a placebo in a study started having their urine cortisol levels rise in response to lack of treatment, compared with those who remained on Recorlev, according to top-line data from the Phase 3 LOGICS trial.

Based on these findings and data from a previous Phase 3 trial of Recorlev called SONICS (NCT01838551), the therapy’s developer, Strongbridge Biopharma, is planning to submit a new drug application requesting its approval to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) early next year.

If approved, Recorlev could be available to patients in the U.S. in 2022.

“We are delighted to announce the positive and statistically significant top-line results of the LOGICS study, which add to the growing body of evidence supporting the potential of Recorlev (levoketoconazole) as an effective and well tolerated cortisol synthesis inhibitor to treat Cushing’s syndrome,” Fredric Cohen, MD, chief medical officer of Strongbridge Biopharma, said in a press release.

Recorlev, also known as COR-003, is an investigational oral treatment for endogenous Cushing’s syndrome that inhibits the production of cortisol, the glucocorticoid hormone that is overly produced in patients with the disorder.

The safety, tolerability, effectiveness, and pharmacological properties of Recorlev in people with endogenous Cushing’s syndrome are currently being assessed in the LOGICS trial (NCT03277690).

LOGICS enrolled patients who had never been treated with Recorlev, as well as those given the medication in SONICS.

The study included an initial withdrawal phase, in which patients were assigned randomly to either Recorlev (up to a dose of 1,200 mg), or to a placebo for about 8 weeks. This was followed by a restoration phase, lasting approximately the same time, in which all patients received Recorlev in combination with a placebo. With this design, patients initially assigned to Recorlev continued treatment in the study’s second phase, while those originally assigned to a placebo switched to Recorlev.

Before enrolling in the study’s initial randomized-withdrawal phase, patients completed an open-label titration and maintenance phase lasting 14 to 19 weeks, which determined the best dose of Recorlev they should receive later.

Of the 79 patients who entered the open-label titration and maintenance phase, 44 enrolled in the randomized-withdrawal phase, and 43 completed this initial portion of the trial.

Top-line data now announced by the company showed the proportion of patients having their urine cortisol levels rise by the end of the randomized-withdrawal phase was 54.5% higher among those on a placebo than among those treated with Recorlev (95.5% vs. 40.9%).

All 21 patients who lost their initial treatment response in the open-label portion of the study, and saw their cortisol levels rise after moving to a placebo (withdrawal phase) were given early rescue treatment. Their cortisol levels started to drop after a median of 22 days.

The percentage of patients whose urine cortisol levels were within normal range by the end of the withdrawal phase was 45.5% higher among those treated with Recorlev, compared with those given a placebo (50.0% vs. 4.5%).

In addition to losing benefits related to cortisol control, patients receiving a withdrawal-phase placebo also lost the therapy’s positive cholesterol-lowering effects.

“The Phase 3 LOGICS results complement the long-term efficacy and safety data supplied by the Phase 3 SONICS study, which was published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, by confirming that the effects of Recorlev (levoketoconazole) were responsible for the therapeutic response when treatment was continued compared to withdrawing patients to placebo,” said Maria Fleseriu, MD, FACE, professor of Medicine and Neurological Surgery and director of the Oregon Health Sciences University Pituitary Center, and principal investigator of the study. 

 “The LOGICS findings — which build upon the long-term benefit shown during open-label treatment in SONICS — provide robust evidence to support the use of RECORLEV as an important treatment option for this life-threatening rare endocrine disease,” Fleseriu added.

Recorlev was found to be safe and well-tolerated in LOGICS. Of the 79 patients who entered in the study’s open-label titration and maintenance phase, 19% discontinued due to side effects in this phase, and none of the 44 who proceeded to the withdrawal phase stopped treatment for these reasons.

The most common side effects observed during the first two parts of LOGICS included nausea (29%), low blood potassium levels (28%), headache (21%), high blood pressure (19%), and diarrhea (15%).

Some patients saw the levels of their liver enzymes rise above normal levels — a sign of liver inflammation and damage — during the study. However, this and other side effects of special interest, including those associated with adrenal insufficiency, resolved by either lowering the dose or stopping treatment with Recorlev. The proportion of patients experiencing these side effects was similar to that seen in SONICS.

These findings are part of a subset of data from a planned interim analysis of LOGICS. Final study data requires analyses of additional datasets.

Adapted from https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/09/08/2089872/0/en/Strongbridge-Biopharma-plc-Announces-Positive-and-Statistically-Significant-Top-Line-Results-from-the-Pivotal-Phase-3-LOGICS-Study-of-RECORLEV-levoketoconazole-for-the-Treatment-of.html

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Novel Therapy Eases Cushing’s Symptoms in Pivotal Trial

Posted on April 27, 2019 by MaryO

by Kristen Monaco, Staff Writer, MedPage Today

LOS ANGELES — An investigational therapy improved quality of life and reduced disease symptoms for patients with endogenous Cushing’s syndrome, according to new findings from the phase III SONICS study.

Patients taking oral levoketoconazole twice daily had significant reductions in mean scores for acne (-1.8), peripheral edema (-0.4), and hirsutism (-2.6), all secondary endpoints of the pivotal trial (P<0.03 for all), reported Maria Fleseriu, MD, of Oregon Health and Science University in Portland.

“We’re looking forward to see the results of further studies and to add this therapy to the landscape of Cushing’s,” Fleseriu said here during a presentation of the findings at AACE 2019, the annual meeting of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. “We have a newer medication and still we cannot make a dent in the outcomes of Cushing’s, especially for patient-reported outcomes.”

Free testosterone levels significantly decreased in women taking levoketoconazole (a ketoconazole stereoisomer and potent steroidogenesis inhibitor), from an average of 0.32 ng/dL down to 0.12 ng/dL (0.011 to 0.004 nmol/L, P<0.0001). Men had a non-significant increase: 5.1 ng/dL up to 5.8 ng/dL (0.177 to 0.202 nmol/L).

There were no significant changes from baseline to the end of maintenance for other secondary endpoints in the analysis: moon facies, facial plethora, striae, bruising, supraclavicular fat, irregular menstruation, and dysmenorrhea. However, significant improvements after 6 months of therapy were seen in patient-reported quality of life compared with baseline (mean 10.6 change on the Cushing QOL questionnaire) as well as a significant reduction in depressive symptoms (mean -4.3 change on the Beck Depression Inventory II).

The open-label, multicenter SONICS (Study of Levoketoconazole in Cushing’s Syndrome) trial included 94 adult men and women with a confirmed diagnosis of Cushing’s syndrome and elevated 24-hour mean urinary free cortisol (mUFC) levels at least 1.5 times the upper limit of normal.

In the dose-titration phase of the study (weeks 2 to 21), patients were titrated up to a max dose of 600 mg levoketoconazole twice daily until mUFC normalization. A 6-month maintenance phase followed with no dose increases, but decreases were allowed if adverse events emerged. An additional 6-month extended evaluation phase followed thereafter.

The study met it’s previously reported primary endpoint, with 30% of patients achieving normalized mUFC levels after 6 months of maintenance therapy without a dose increase (95% CI 21%-40%, P=0.0154).

Levoketoconazole was well tolerated, with only 12.8% of patients discontinuing treatment due to adverse events. The most commonly reported adverse events were nausea (31.9%), headache (27.7%), peripheral edema (19.1%), hypertension (17%), and fatigue (16%), some of which were expected due to steroid withdrawal, Fleseriu said.

Serious adverse events were reported in 14 patients, including prolonged QTc interval in two patients, elevated liver function in one patient, and adrenal insufficiency in another, events similar to those seen with ketoconazole (Nizoral) therapy.

Fleseriu explained that drug-drug interaction is a problem in Cushing’s, as all of the available medications prolong QT interval.

She noted that in SONICS, QT prolongation with levoketoconazole was observed in few patients. It’s still a “concern,” said Fleseriu, especially for patients on other drugs that prolong QT.

Although not yet approved, levoketoconazole has received orphan drug designation from the FDA and the European Medicines Agency for endogenous Cushing’s syndrome. The tentative brand name is Recorlev.

The study was supported by Strongbridge Biopharma.

Fleseriu reported relationships with Strongbridge, Millendo Therapeutics, and Novartis. Co-authors also disclosed relevant relationships with industry.

From https://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/aace/79465

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New Phase 3 Data Further Support Recorlev’s Ability to Safely Lower Cortisol Levels in Cushing’s Patients

Posted on November 2, 2018 by MaryO

Strongbridge Biopharma released additional positive results from a Phase 3 trial evaluating whether the company’s investigational therapy Recorlev (levoketoconazole) is safe and effective for people with endogenous Cushing’s syndrome.

The latest results were presented in the scientific poster “Safety and Efficacy of Levoketoconazole in Cushing Syndrome:  Initial Results From the Phase 3 SONICS Study,\” at the 18th Annual Congress of the European NeuroEndocrine Association (ENEA), which took place in Wrocław, Poland, last month.

The SONICS study (NCT01838551) was a multi-center, open-label Phase 3 trial evaluating Recorlev’s safety and effectiveness in 94 patients with endogenous Cushing’s syndrome.

The trial consisted of three parts: a dose-escalation phase to determine the appropriate Recorlev dose that achieved normalization of cortisol levels; a maintenance phase in which patients received the established dose for six months; and a final extended phase, in which patients were treated with Recorlev for an additional six months, with the possibility of dose adjustments.

Its primary goal was a reduction in the levels of cortisol in the patients’ urine after six months of maintenance treatment, without any dose increase during that period. Among secondary goals was a reduction in the characteristically high risk of cardiovascular disease in these people, through the assessment of multiple cardiovascular risk markers.

Strongbridge announced top-line results of the SONICS study in August, which showed that the trial had reached its primary and secondary goals. It concluded last month.

After six months of maintenance therapy, Recorlev successfully lowered to normal the levels of cortisol in 30% of patients without a dose increase. It also led to statistically and clinically significant reductions in cardiovascular risk biomarkers, including blood sugar, cholesterol levels, body weight, and body mass index.

Maria Fleseriu, MD, director of the Oregon Health Sciences University Northwest Pituitary Center, presented additional and detailed results of SONICS at the congress.

Additional analyses showed that among the 77 patients who completed the dose-escalation phase and entered the study’s maintenance phase, 81% had their cortisol levels normalized.

At the end of the six months of maintenance treatment, 29 (53%) of the 55 patients who had their cortisol levels assessed at the beginning of the study and at the end of the maintenance phase had achieved normalization of cortisol levels, regardless of dose increase.

Among all patients who completed maintenance treatment (including patients with some missing data) and regardless of dose increase, 38% had achieved normalization of cortisol levels and 48% recorded a 50% or more decrease or normalization.

The results also highlighted that Recorlev substantially reduced patients’ cortisol levels regardless of their levels at the study’s beginning (which were on average about five-fold higher than the upper limit of normal). In those patients with the highest levels of cortisol in their urine, Recorlev led to a median reduction of more than 80%.

As previously reported, Recorlev was found to be generally well-tolerated, with no new safety concerns, and only 12 participants (12.8%) stopped treatment due to adverse events.

Ten patients had three- or five-fold increased levels of alanine aminotransferase — a liver enzyme used to assess liver damage — which were fully resolved without further complications. These liver-related adverse events “were all noted in the first 60 days, thus suggesting a timeline interval for monitoring,” Fleseriu said in a press release.

“We continue to be encouraged by the positive efficacy results of SONICS and the overall benefit-to-risk profile of Recorlev and look forward to sharing additional planned analyses from the study in the near future,” said Fredric Cohen, Strongbridge’s chief medical officer.

From https://cushingsdiseasenews.com/2018/11/01/new-data-from-phase-3-trial-supports-recorlev-ability-to-safely-treat-cushings-syndrome/

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