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Pasireotide has shown potential as a targeted treatment for some cases of Cushing’s disease.
The Phase 3 study of 162 adults with Cushing’s disease and elevated urinary free cortical levels (at least 1.5 times the upper limit of normal) assessed progress toward the primary endpoint – a urinary free cortisol level no higher than the upper limit of normal, without receiving a dose increase, at six months.
Of the participants, 82 were assigned to receive 600 microg pasireotide and 80 received 900 microg pasireotide twice per day.
By 6 months, 14.6% of patients in the 600 microg pasireotide group and 26.3% of those in the 900 microg group had reached the primary endpoint.
Also, the median value of urinary free cortical levels had about halved and remained stable in both treatment groups.
Annamaria Colao and team from the University of Naples Federico II in Italy concludedL “Pasireotide, a potential therapy, has a unique, broad somatostatin-receptor-binding profile, with high binding affinityfor somatostatin-receptor subtype 5.”
New England Journal of Medicine
