Home administration of lanreotide Autogel^® by patients with acromegaly, or their partners, is safe and effective

Abstract

Summary Objective The introduction of ready‐to‐use lanreotide Autogel® has presented the possibility of patients receiving their acromegaly treatment at home. The objective of this study was to assess the ability of patients (or their partners) to administer repeat, unsupervised, injections of lanreotide Autogel without compromising efficacy or safety. Design Multicentre (10 UK regional endocrine centres), open‐label, nonrandomised, controlled study. Patients elected either to receive/administer unsupervised home injections after injection technique training (Test group) or continued to receive injections from a healthcare professional (Control group). Patients received monthly injections of lanreotide Autogel® at their established dose. Effects were monitored for up to 40 weeks. Patients Thirty patients (15 per treatment group) with acromegaly treated with a stable dose of lanreotide Autogel® (60, 90 or 120 mg) for ≥ 4 months before screening. Measurements The main outcome measure was the proportion of patients/partners who successfully administered injections throughout the study. Results All Test group patients/partners qualified to administer injections. Fourteen of 15 patients fulfilled all criteria for successful administration of unsupervised injections (95% confidence interval, 70%–99%). Fourteen of 15 Test and 14/15 Control patients maintained growth hormone and IGF‐1 control. Local injection tolerability was good for both treatment groups, and safety profiles were similar. All Test group patients continued with unsupervised injections after the study. Conclusions Patients with acromegaly or their partners were able to administer lanreotide Autogel® injections with no detrimental effect on efficacy and safety; therefore, unsupervised home injections are a viable alternative to healthcare professional injections for suitably motivated patients.

Effects of lanreotide SR and Autogel on tumor mass in patients with acromegaly: a systematic review

“…In fact, lanreotide Autogel is a new formulation of lanreotide with comparable biochemical efficacy to lanreotide SR and potential advantages for the compliance of the patients related to the type (i.e deep subcutaneous) and modality of administration [52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61]. In fact, it does not require any reconstitution procedures which, if incomplete, may result in needle blockage by microparticles.…”

Impaired quality of life of patients with acromegaly: control of GH/IGF-I excess improves psychological subscale appearance

“…injections of slow-release lanreotide administered every 2 weeks in a hospital setting might generate psychological distress and less of a sense of well-being in patients with controlled disease. However, it has recently been reported that training patients self-or partner administration of the new lanreotide autogel formulation may confer advantages in terms of clinic visits, independence and patient's wellbeing without compromising control of GH/IGF-I excess (29). Further investigations are mandatory to tailor the therapy based on a patient's individual requirements taking into consideration not only control of GH/IGF-I excess but also physical and psychological functions in patients with acromegaly.…”

Acromegaly: Assessing the Disorder and Navigating the Therapeutic Options for Treatment

“…With delays to achieving effects of radiation, SRLs can be used after radiation as a "bridge" until remission occurs. Two SRLs agents, octreotide acetate and lanreotide, have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as depot formulations (Table 3) (24)(25)(26)(27). Several studies have supported similar efficacy between the two agents, with the primary differences between the products comprising dosage preparation and administration.…”