Efficacy and safety of NEPA, an oral combination of netupitant and palonosetron, for prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting following highly emetogenic chemotherapy: a randomized dose-ranging pivotal study

BACKGROUND

NEPA is a novel oral fixed-dose combination of netupitant (NETU), a new highly selective neurokinin-1 (NK1) receptor antagonist (RA) and palonosetron (PALO), a pharmacologically and clinically distinct 5-hydroxytryptamine type 3 (5-HT3) RA. This study was designed to determine the appropriate clinical dose of NETU to combine with PALO for evaluation in the phase 3 NEPA program.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This randomized, double-blind, parallel group study in 694 chemotherapy naïve patients undergoing cisplatin-based chemotherapy for solid tumors compared three different oral doses of NETU (100, 200, and 300 mg) + PALO 0.50 mg with oral PALO 0.50 mg, all given on day 1. A standard 3-day aprepitant (APR) + IV ondansetron (OND) 32 mg regimen was included as an exploratory arm. All patients received oral dexamethasone on days 1-4. The primary efficacy endpoint was complete response (CR: no emesis, no rescue medication) during the overall (0-120 h) phase.

RESULTS

All NEPA doses showed superior overall CR rates compared with PALO (87.4%, 87.6%, and 89.6% for NEPA100, NEPA200, and NEPA300, respectively versus 76.5% PALO; P < 0.050) with the highest NEPA300 dose studied showing an incremental benefit over lower NEPA doses for all efficacy endpoints. NEPA300 was significantly more effective than PALO and numerically better than APR + OND for all secondary efficacy endpoints of no emesis, no significant nausea, and complete protection (CR plus no significant nausea) rates during the acute (0-24 h), delayed (25-120 h), and overall phases. Adverse events were comparable across groups with no dose response. The percent of patients developing electrocardiogram changes was also comparable.

CONCLUSIONS

Each NEPA dose provided superior prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) compared with PALO following highly emetogenic chemotherapy; however, NEPA300 was the best dose studied, with an advantage over lower doses for all efficacy endpoints. The combination of NETU and PALO was well tolerated with a similar safety profile to PALO and APR + OND.

Efficacy and safety of repeated dosing of netupitant, a neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist, in treating overactive bladder

AIM

NK-1 receptors in sensory nerves, the spinal cord and bladder smooth muscle participate in complex sensory mechanisms that regulate bladder activity. This study was designed to assess the efficacy and safety of a new NK-1 receptor antagonist, netupitant, in patients with OAB.

METHODS

This was a phase II, multicenter, double-blind study in which adults with OAB symptoms >6 months were randomized to receive 1 of 3 doses of netupitant (50, 100, 200 mg) or placebo once daily for 8 weeks. The primary efficacy endpoint was percentage change from baseline in average number of daily micturitions at week 8. Urinary incontinence, urge urinary incontinence (UUI), and urgency episodes were also assessed.

RESULTS

The primary efficacy endpoint was similar in the treatment groups (-13.85 for placebo to -16.17 in the netupitant 200 mg group) with no statistically significant differences between netupitant and placebo. The same was true for most secondary endpoints although a significant difference for improvement in UUI episodes and a trend for the greatest decrease in urgency episodes were seen in the netupitant 100 mg group. Netupitant was well tolerated with most treatment emergent adverse events (AEs) being mild. While the overall incidence of AEs increased with netupitant dose, there was no evidence for this dose dependency based on relationship to treatment, intensity, or time to onset.

CONCLUSIONS

The study failed to demonstrate superiority of netupitant versus placebo in decreasing OAB symptoms, despite a trend favoring netupitant 100 mg. There were no safety concerns with daily administration of netupitant over 8 weeks.

Experimental cultivation of cannabis plants in the Mediterranean area

In research carried out in 1982, which included the cultivation of cannabis plants with low, medium and high levels of delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the authors have determined the parameters for individualization and classification of cannabis plants according to their intoxicant potential. This can help to provide courts of law with valid supportive expertise on cannabis trafficking cases. The parameters are the percentages of THC in cannabinoids and in the dried substance of a plant, as well as the percentage of cannabinoids in the dried substance. On the basis of these parameters, the authors have found that a cannabis plant in which the percentage of THC exceeds 50 per cent of the total amount of cannabinoids of the extractable resin and 0.3 per cent of the total amount of dried substance, and in which the amounts of resin and cannabinoids are substantial, has a considerable intoxicant potential and is liable to be used for illicit production of cannabis for abuse. On the contrary, a plant with a THC level below 50 per cent of the cannabinoids and 0.3 per cent of the dried substance, in addition to a low level of total cannabinoids, has low intoxicant potential and can be used in industry for the production of oil and rope. On the basis of these parameters it is also possible to predict the intoxicant potential of a young cannabis plant harvested at a relatively early stage of its development.