Weekly somapacitan had no adverse effects on glucose metabolism in adults with growth hormone deficiency

Utilizing Somapacitan, a Long-acting Growth Hormone Formulation, for the Treatment of Adult Growth Hormone Deficiency: A Guide for Clinicians

OBJECTIVE

Somapacitan is the first approved and currently the only long-acting growth hormone (GH) formulation in the United States for treatment of adults with growth hormone deficiency (GHD). The aim of this review was to provide a practical approach for clinicians on how to utilize somapacitan in the treatment of adults with GHD.

METHODS

Literature search was performed on PubMed using key words, including adult GHD, long-acting growth hormone, somapacitan, treatment, and management. The discussion of treatment aspects utilizing somapacitan was based on evidence from previous clinical studies and personal experience.

RESULTS

Clinical trial data demonstrated that somapacitan, a once-weekly reversible albumin-binding GH derivative, decreased truncal fat, improved visceral fat and lean body mass, increased insulin-like growth factor-I standard deviation score and exerted neutral effects on glucose metabolism. Overall, somapacitan was well-tolerated, adverse event rates were comparable with daily GH, antisomapacitan or anti-GH antibodies were not detected, and treatment satisfaction was in favor of somapacitan vs daily GH.

CONCLUSION

Somapacitan is an efficacious, safe, convenient and well-tolerated once-weekly long-acting GH formulation that reduces the treatment burden of once-daily GH injections for adults with GHD. This article provides a review of the pharmacology of somapacitan and offers practical recommendations based on previous clinical trial data on how to initiate, dose titration, monitoring and dose adjustments whilst on therapy in adults with GHD. Timing of measurement of serum insulin-like growth factor-I levels, information on administration, recommendations on missed doses, and clinical recommendations on dosing in certain sub-population of patients are also discussed.

Developments in the Management of Growth Hormone Deficiency: Clinical Utility of Somapacitan

Growth hormone (GH) replacement therapy for growth hormone deficiency (GHD) in children and adults has for over 25 years, until recently, been administered as daily injections. This daily treatment regimen often incurs a burden to patients and caregivers, leading to high rates of non-adherence and, consequently, decreased treatment efficacy outcomes. To address this shortcoming, long-acting growth hormones (LAGHs) have been developed with the aim of reducing the burden of daily injections, thereby potentially improving treatment adherence and outcomes. Somapacitan (Sogroya®) (Novo Nordisk, Bagsværd, Denmark) is a LAGH currently approved for the treatment of adult and childhood GHD (AGHD and CGHD, respectively) in several countries. Other LAGHs, such as somatrogon (Ngenla®) (Pfizer, New York, United States) and lonapegsomatropin/TransCon GH (Skytrofa®) (Ascendis Pharma, Copenhagen, Denmark), are also currently approved and available for the treatment of CGHD in several countries. In this review, we will consider the method of protraction, pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD), efficacy, and safety results of somapacitan in adult and pediatric trials and how these characteristics differ from those of the other aforementioned LAGHs. Additionally, the administration of somapacitan and timing of measurement of serum insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) levels are summarized. Information on administration, advice on missed doses, and clinical guidelines are discussed, as well as identifying which patients are suitable for somapacitan therapy, and how to monitor and adjust dosing whilst on therapy.

Investigation of the metabolic and endocrinological differences between daily and weekly growth hormone replacement therapy, somapacitan, in patients with adult growth hormone deficiency: A real-world pilot study

In this real-world pilot study, we evaluated the metabolic and endocrinological effects in patients with adult growth hormone deficiency (AGHD) who switched from daily growth hormone (GH) replacement therapy to weekly GH replacement therapy using somapacitan. Eleven patients with AGHD, whose medical treatment aside from GH replacement therapy did not change, were enrolled. We investigated the metabolic and endocrinological parameters between at switching and 6 months after switching from daily GH formulation to somapacitan. The results showed that body mass index (BMI), homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and liver functions were significantly improved 6 months after switching compared to those at switching (each P < .05). Besides, the improvement in HOMA-IR was significantly associated with the period of daily GH replacement therapy before switching (P = .048), while age, sex, improvement in BMI or liver functions, presence of any hormonal deficiency, and the existence of any hormonal replacement therapy significantly associated (P > .05). In addition, switching to GH replacement therapy did not affect endocrinological parameters. In conclusion, this study might indicate that weekly GH replacement therapy with somapacitan could have more beneficial points than daily GH replacement therapy. Considering the cohort of this study was small, future studies with larger cohorts should be necessary to confirm the results of this study.

Weekly Somapacitan in GH Deficiency: 4-Year Efficacy, Safety, and Treatment/Disease Burden Results From REAL 3

CONTEXT

Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) in children is currently treated with daily injections of GH, which can be burdensome for patients and their parents/guardians. Somapacitan is a GH derivative in development for once-weekly treatment of GHD.

OBJECTIVE

This work aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of somapacitan, and associated disease/treatment burden, after 4 years of treatment and 1 year after switching to somapacitan from daily GH.

METHODS

This long-term safety extension of a multicenter, controlled phase 2 trial (NCT02616562) took place at 29 sites in 11 countries. Patients were prepubertal, GH-naive children with GHD. Fifty patients completed 4 years of treatment. Patients in the pooled group received somapacitan (0.04, 0.08, 0.16 mg/kg/week) for 1 year, followed by the highest dose (0.16 mg/kg/week) for 3 years. Patients in the switched group received daily GH 0.034 mg/kg/day for 3 years, then somapacitan 0.16 mg/kg/week for 1 year. Main outcome measures were height velocity (HV), change from baseline in HV SD score (SDS), change from baseline in height SDS, disease burden, and treatment burden for patients and parents/guardians.

RESULTS

Changes from baseline in HV and HV SDS were similar and as expected in both groups. Observer-reported outcomes showed that patients and parents/guardians seem to have experienced a reduced treatment burden when switching from daily GH to somapacitan. Most parents/guardians (81.8%) strongly/very strongly preferred somapacitan over daily GH.

CONCLUSIONS

Somapacitan showed similar efficacy and safety in patients who continued somapacitan treatment and those who switched from daily GH to somapacitan. Once-weekly injections may lead to a reduced treatment burden relative to once-daily injections. A plain-language summary of this work is available.

Guidance for the treatment of adult growth hormone deficiency with somapacitan, a long-acting growth hormone preparation

Adult growth hormone deficiency (AGHD) is a rare endocrine disorder characterized by an abnormal body composition, metabolic abnormalities associated with increased cardiovascular diseases, bone loss, and impaired quality of life. Daily subcutaneous injections with recombinant growth hormone (GH) can alleviate the abnormalities associated with AGHD. Several long-acting GH (LAGH) preparations are currently in development that aim to reduce treatment burden for patients receiving daily GH injections. Somapacitan (Sogroya^®; Novo Nordisk, Denmark) is the first LAGH preparation that has been approved for treatment of AGHD in the United States, Europe, and Japan. The recent approval of somapacitan and anticipated approval of other LAGH molecules presents new questions for physicians planning to treat AGHD with LAGH in the future. Differences in the technologies used to prolong the half-life of recombinant GH are expected to result in variations in pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles between preparations. Therefore, it is essential that physicians understand and consider such variations when treating patients with these novel GH replacement therapies. Here, we present a set of treatment recommendations that have been created to guide physicians initiating therapy with somapacitan in patients with AGHD who are eligible for GH replacement. Furthermore, we will review the published data that underlie these recommendations to explain the rationale for the treatment and monitoring advice provided.