Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Pasireotide (SOM230) is a multi-receptor targeted somatostatin analogue with high binding affinity for sst1,2,3 and sst5. In a Phase II study of pasireotide in patients with active acromegaly, 27% achieved biochemical control after 1 month of octreotide s.c. followed by 3 months of pasireotide, and pituitary tumor volume decreased by >20% in 39% of patients. Results from the study’s extension phase are presented.<p class="abstex...

Introduction: In a recent 16-week Phase II study in patients with de novo, persistent or recurrent acromegaly, pasireotide effectively controlled GH and/or IGF-I levels in 56% of patients, and reduced tumor volume by >20% in 39% of patients. We present preliminary 6-month results from the ongoing extension phase of this study.Methods: This extension study enrolled patients who achieved biochemical control (GH ≤2.5 μg/l and normalize...

Aldosterone is a key cardiovascular hormone: 15% of hypertensives have altered aldosterone regulation, defined by a raised ratio of aldosterone to renin. However, the causes of aldosterone excess are not understood. Polymorphic variation in the gene encoding aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2) is associated with hypertension, but the most robust phenotype is a relative reduction in efficiency of 11ß-hydroxylation (conversion of deoxycortisol to cortisol), which reflects functi...

This is the first prospective study to compare the efficacy and safety of medical therapy and surgery as primary therapy in acromegaly.A total of 104 patients with untreated acromegaly were enrolled. Eighty-one patients randomized to receive either octreotide LAR 20 mg (n=40) or surgery (n=41) completed the 48 weeks treatment period, and constituted the population used for this analysis, regardless of response to treatment.<p class="abs...

Introduction: In a Phase III trial, pasireotide LAR was significantly superior (P=0.007) to octreotide LAR at providing biochemical control at 12 months in medically naïve acromegaly patients (post-pituitary surgery or de novo). Inadequately controlled patients (GH≥2.5 μg/l and/or IGF-1>ULN) at the end of core study were eligible for switching therapy (crossover extension). Reported here are efficacy results up to 12 months and safety resu...

The locus comprising the genes that catalyse the final steps of cortisol and aldosterone synthesis (CYP11B1 and CYP11B2 respectively) is a plausible candidate risk region for hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases. Nevertheless, there remains uncertainty as to the strength of the relationship between polymorphisms at this locus and increased blood pressure. In this study, association with hypertension at the CYP11B1/CYP11B2 locus in a Caucasian cas...

Background: Glucorticoids can affect blood pressure in humans, as demonstrated most strikingly in Cushing’s syndrome. We have previously reported that total cortisol metabolite excretion is raised in obese subjects, while other investigations have identified genetically determined changes in glucocorticoid receptor function as contributors to hypertension. Furthermore, in essential hypertension, vasoconstrictor sensitivity to glucocorticoids is increased. Such raised sens...