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New Slow-Release Lanreotide Effective for Active Acromegaly: Presented at ECE

By Alison Palkhivala

LYON, FRANCE -- April 28, 2003 -– A new prolonged formulation of lanreotide, a somatostatin analog, decreases growth hormone and IGF-1 levels in patients with active acromegaly.

In a study led by A. Colao from the department of molecular and clinical endocrinology, Frederico II University, Naples, Italy, 32 patients with active acromegaly received injections of a new prolonged, slow-release formulation of lanreotide (called lanreotide Autogel) 120 mg. The first three injections were each given 8 weeks apart. Afterward, additional injections (up to 7) were given 4, 6 or 8 weeks apart, depending on growth hormone levels.

Overall, 15 patients were receiving therapy for the first time, and 17 had been unsuccessfully treated with trans sphenoidal surgery for a growth hormone secreting adenoma in the past. None of the patients had received treatment with a somatostatin analog before. The researchers presented their findings in a poster on April 27^th, 2003, here at the 6^th European Congress of Endocrinology.

Treatment with the prolonged formulation of lanreotide produced average decreases in growth hormone from 18.8 to 10.5 µg/L, p=0.03 and average decreases in insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels from 795.8 to 454.6 µg/L, p<0.0001. These values represent a 45.5% drop in growth hormone levels and 36.9% drop in IGF-1 levels.

Following treatment, 10 patients achieved a growth hormone level less than or equal to 2.5 µg/L, and 7 experienced normalizations in their IGF-1 levels, for their age and gender.

Both before and after treatment, patients who received trans sphenoidal surgery had lower growth hormone and IGF-1 levels than patients who had not undergone surgery. Treatment had a greater impact on the growth hormone and IGF-1 levels of the operated than the non-operated patients but was effective for both groups.

Based on these findings, the authors concluded that the new slow-release formulation of lanreotide is effective at reducing growth hormone and IGF-1 levels in patients with active acromegaly, regardless of whether they had previously undergone surgery for this condition.


[Study title: A New Slow-Release Formulation Of Lanreotide (Autogel) In Patients With Active Acromegaly: Preliminary Results Of A Multicenter, Open Clinical Study. Abstract: P0158.]

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