Endocrine Abstracts

Lanreotide (LAN) Autogel, a new aqueous preparation of lanreotide acetate, was administered by deep sc injection every 4 weeks to patients with acromegaly (54 males, 53 females, mean age 53 plus/minus 1 year) who had previously been responsive to im SR LAN 30 mg microparticles. Patients who had been treated with at least 4 im injections of SR LAN 30 mg every 14 (49%), 10 (32%) or 7 days (20%) for at least 3 months and had a mean GH level <10 ng/ml, were switched to LAN Autogel 60, 90 or 120 mg, respectively. After SR LAN treatment at 7- and 10-day intervals, mean lanreotide levels were 3.10 plus/minus 0.25 and 2.65 plus/minus 0.20 ng/ml, respectively, compared with 1.86 plus/minus 0.12 ng/ml at 14 days. These values did not differ significantly after 3 fixed-dose injections of LAN Autogel. Mean GH and IGF-1 values during the two treatments were also similar. GH hypersecretion was controlled (GH <2.5 ng/ml, age-sex-normalised IGF-1) in 33% and 39% of the patients during SR LAN and LAN Autogel, respectively. Diarrhoea, mild abdominal pain, nausea lasting <72 hours were reported in 38, 22 and 18% of patients during SR LAN, and 29, 17 and 9% during LAN Autogel. The frequency of gallstones and/or sludge was 34 and 37%, respectively. Mild pain or local induration at the site of injections were reported in <7% of patients. In conclusion, this long-acting LAN Autogel formulation administered by deep sc injections every 4 weeks is as efficacious and well tolerated as SR LAN in patients with acromegaly. It is likely to improve acceptability of medical treatment for patients with acromegaly needing long-term somatostatin analogue therapy.