Administration Of Study Treatment Research Articles

Pembrolizumab versus placebo as post-nephrectomy adjuvant therapy for clear cell renal cell carcinoma (KEYNOTE-564): 30-month follow-up analysis of a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial

The first interim analysis of the KEYNOTE-564 study showed improved disease-free survival with adjuvant pembrolizumab compared with placebo after surgery in patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma at an increased risk of recurrence. The analysis reported here, with an additional 6 months of follow-up, was designed to assess longer-term efficacy and safety of pembrolizumab versus placebo, as well as additional secondary and exploratory endpoints. In the multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 KEYNOTE-564 trial, adults aged 18 years or older with clear cell renal cell carcinoma with an increased risk of recurrence were enrolled at 213 hospitals and cancer centres in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Eligible participants had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 or 1, had undergone nephrectomy 12 weeks or less before randomisation, and had not received previous systemic therapy for advanced renal cell carcinoma. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) via central permuted block randomisation (block size of four) to receive pembrolizumab 200 mg or placebo intravenously every 3 weeks for up to 17 cycles. Randomisation was stratified by metastatic disease status (M0 vs M1), and the M0 group was further stratified by ECOG performance status and geographical region. All participants and investigators involved in study treatment administration were masked to the treatment group assignment. The primary endpoint was disease-free survival by investigator assessment in the intention-to-treat population (all participants randomly assigned to a treatment). Safety was assessed in the safety population, comprising all participants who received at least one dose of pembrolizumab or placebo. As the primary endpoint was met at the first interim analysis, updated data are reported without p values. This study is ongoing, but no longer recruiting, and is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03142334. Between June 30, 2017, and Sept 20, 2019, 994 participants were assigned to receive pembrolizumab (n=496) or placebo (n=498). Median follow-up, defined as the time from randomisation to data cutoff (June 14, 2021), was 30·1 months (IQR 25·7-36·7). Disease-free survival was better with pembrolizumab compared with placebo (HR 0·63 [95% CI 0·50-0·80]). Median disease-free survival was not reached in either group. The most common all-cause grade 3-4 adverse events were hypertension (in 14 [3%] of 496 participants) and increased alanine aminotransferase (in 11 [2%]) in the pembrolizumab group, and hypertension (in 13 [3%] of 498 participants) in the placebo group. Serious adverse events attributed to study treatment occurred in 59 (12%) participants in the pembrolizumab group and one (<1%) participant in the placebo group. No deaths were attributed to pembrolizumab. Updated results from KEYNOTE-564 support the use of adjuvant pembrolizumab monotherapy as a standard of care for participants with renal cell carcinoma with an increased risk of recurrence after nephrectomy. Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, a subsidiary of Merck & Co, Inc, Rahway, NJ, USA.

Outcomes By Cardiac Stage in Newly Diagnosed AL Amyloidosis: Results from Andromeda

Outcomes By Cardiac Stage in Newly Diagnosed AL Amyloidosis: Results from Andromeda

Abstract CT170: KEYNOTE-629: Phase II study of pembrolizumab for recurrent/metastatic or locally advanced unresectable cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract Background: Findings from Phase I and II clinical trials suggest that treatment with an anti-programmed death 1 (PD-1) antibody is well tolerated and provides durable antitumor activity in patients with local/regionally advanced or metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC). Encouraging efficacy and safety findings have also been reported from an expansion cohort in the phase 1 KEYNOTE-012 trial with the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab. KEYNOTE-012 demonstrated that pembrolizumab 200 mg administered once every 3 weeks was well tolerated and yielded a clinically meaningful overall response rate with evidence of durable responses in patients with recurrent and/or metastatic head and neck cSCC. To test the clinical activity of pembrolizumab, the open-label, single-arm, phase 2 KEYNOTE-629 trial (NCT03284424) will be carried out in patients with locally advanced, unresectable, and recurrent or metastatic cSCC. Trial design: Patients will receive intravenous pembrolizumab 200 mg every 3 weeks for up to 35 infusions (≤24 months) or until protocol-specified treatment discontinuation. Treatment will not be stratified in this study. Eligibility criteria include age ≥18 years; locally advanced cSCC that is ineligible for surgical resection or radiotherapy (RT) or that previously underwent RT to the index site or systemic therapy for curative intent; presence of measurable disease by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) v1.1; and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0 or 1. Treatment will be discontinued for progressive disease, unacceptable toxicity, intercurrent illness preventing study treatment administration, investigator’s decision, patient withdrawal of consent, pregnancy, or cessation for administrative reasons. Response will be assessed by computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging 6 weeks after treatment initiation, every 6 weeks through year 1, then every 9 weeks thereafter or more frequently if clinically indicted. After a patient experiences disease progression or starts new anticancer therapy, the patient will be followed up and contacted every 12 weeks until death, consent withdrawal, or study end, whichever occurs first. Safety will be monitored throughout the study treatment and for 30 days after treatment end and for 90 days for serious adverse events after the end of treatment. The primary end point is objective response rate (RECIST v1.1). Secondary end points include duration of response, disease control rate, progression-free survival, overall survival, and safety. Recruitment is ongoing in 10 countries and will continue until approximately 50 additional patients with locally advanced unresectable cSCC are enrolled. Citation Format: Jean-Jacques Grob, Rene Gonzalez Mendoza, Nicole Basset-Seguin, Jacob Schachter, Olga Vornicova, Jessica Bauman, Florent Grange, Nicolas Meyer, Josep Piulats, Pingye (Eric) Zhang, Burak Gumuscu, Ramona Swaby, Brett GM Hughes. KEYNOTE-629: Phase II study of pembrolizumab for recurrent/metastatic or locally advanced unresectable cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr CT170.

Efficacy of Pre-Hospital Administration of Fibrinogen Concentrate (Clottafact®) in Trauma Patients Presumed to Bleed (FIinTIC): Results from a Multicentre Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Randomised, Pilot Trial

Background: Trauma-induced coagulopathy (TIC) substantially contributes to mortality in bleeding trauma patients. We evaluated the feasibility and efficacy of pre-hospital administration of fibrinogen concentrate to trauma patients bleeding or presumed to bleed. (FC; Clottafact®, LFB France). Methods: A prospective, randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blinded trial was conducted in Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic. Adult trauma patients aged ≥18 years with major bleeding and a need for volume therapy were eligible for enrolment. Patients were randomised to treatment with FC or placebo. The target FC dose of 50 mg/kg bodyweight or an equivalent amount of placebo was administered at the scene or during transportation to the study centre. The primary endpoint was blood clot stability as reflected by maximum clot firmness in the functional FIBTEM assay (FibMCF). The trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01475344 (FIinTIC-Trial). Findings: Between 2011 and 2015, 67 patients were enrolled, of whom 14 were excluded due to predefined exclusion criteria or missing data. Thus, the primary analysis included 53 patients, of whom 28 received FC group and 25 received placebo. Median FibMCF decreased in the placebo group between baseline (before administration of study treatment) and admission to the emergency department, from 12.5 (interquartile range: 10.5-14) mm to 11 (9.5-13) mm, p=0.0226, but increased in the FC group from 13 (11-15) mm to 15 (13.5-17) mm, p=0.0062. The median between-group difference in the change in FibMCF was 5 (3-7) mm, p 200 mg/dl, throughout all observation time points. Interpretation: Early FC administration is feasible in the complex and time-sensitive environment of pre-hospital trauma care; it protects against early fibrinogen depletion and promotes rapid blood clot initiation and clot stability. Trial Registration Number: The trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01475344 (FIinTIC-Trial). Funding: The study was funded by LFB Biomedicaments (France), the US Army/Department of Defense (Coalition Warfare Grant) and the Austrian Ministry of Sports and Defence; the study medication and an unrestricted grant were provided by LFB Biomedicaments. In addition, the study was sponsored by the Medical University of Innsbruck (Austria). Declaration of Interest: BS has received travel grants, honoraria for speaking or participation at meetings from CSL Behring, BBraun and Biotest. BZ has received speaker fees from CSL Behring. DF has received study funding, honoraria for consultancy and board activity from Astra Zeneca, AOP orphan, Baxter, Bayer, BBraun, Biotest, CSL Behring, Delta Select, Dade Behring, Edwards, Fresenius, Glaxo, Haemoscope, Hemogem, Lilly, LFB, Mitsubishi Pharma, NovoNordisk, Octapharm, Pfizer, Tem-Innovation. HS has received honoraria for participation in advisory board meetings for Bayer Healthcare, Bohringer Ingelheim and Tem International, and has received study grants from CSL Behring. MB has received research funding and travel grants from LFB Biomedicaments, Baxter GmbH, CSL Behring GmbH, Mitsubishi Tanabe and non-financial support from TEM International outside the submitted work. MM has received fees for lectures, advisory board services, travel and research support from Astra Zeneca, Bayer, Biotest, CSL Behring, IL-Werfen and LFB Biomedicaments. HS has received honoraria for participation in advisory board meetings for Bayer Healthcare, Bohringer Ingelheim and Tem International, and has received study grants from CSL Behring. PI received non-financial (technical) support from TEM International GmbH during conduction of the study; personal fees from Baxter GmbH, CSL Behring GmbH, Fresenius Kabi GmbH Austria, Bayer Austria GmbH, LFB, and non-financial support from TEM International, outside the submitted work. WJM is employee of the US Army, Department of Defense, one of the funding organisations. BT, EO, HH, HT, MT, MK, WV, IZ, CaroN, ChriN and UM declare no conflict of interest. Ethical Approval: The study protocol was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee at each participating centre as well as by the national authorities of each participating country.

Preliminary Results from a Phase II Study of the Combination of Azacitidine and Pembrolizumab in Patients with Higher-Risk Myelodysplastic Syndrome

Preliminary Results from a Phase II Study of the Combination of Azacitidine and Pembrolizumab in Patients with Higher-Risk Myelodysplastic Syndrome

Pharmacokinetics of Salmeterol and Fluticasone Propionate Delivered in Combination via Easyhaler and Diskus Dry Powder Inhalers in Healthy Subjects.

Background: Easyhaler® dry powder inhaler (DPI) containing salmeterol and fluticasone propionate was developed for the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Three different Salmeterol/fluticasone Easyhaler test products (Orion Pharma, Finland) were compared against the reference product Seretide® Diskus® DPI (GlaxoSmithKline, United Kingdom) to study whether any of the test products are bioequivalent with the reference.Methods: Open and randomized pharmacokinetic four-period crossover study on 65 healthy volunteers was performed in a single center to compare the lung deposition and total systemic exposure of salmeterol and fluticasone propionate after administration of single doses (two inhalations of 50/500 μg/inhalation strength) in fasting conditions. Blood samples were drawn before dosing and at frequent time points between 2 minutes and 34 hours after dosing for determination of drug concentrations. The primary variables for total systemic exposure and lung deposition of fluticasone propionate were maximum concentration of the concentration–time curve (Cmax) and area under the concentration–time curve from time zero to the last sample with quantifiable concentration (AUCt). For salmeterol, the primary variables for total systemic exposure were Cmax and AUCt and for lung deposition Cmax and AUC up to 30 minutes after study treatment administration (AUC30min).Results: One of the Easyhaler test products met all the criteria for bioequivalence with the reference. The 96.7% confidence intervals (CIs) for the test/reference ratios of fluticasone propionate Cmax and AUCt were 0.9901–1.1336 and 0.9448–1.0542, respectively. Ninety percent CIs for salmeterol Cmax, AUC30min, and AUCt ratios were 1.0567–1.2012, 1.0989–1.2255, and 1.0769–1.1829, respectively. Median salmeterol time to maximum concentration (tmax) was 4.0 minutes. Median fluticasone propionate tmax was from 1.5 to 2.0 hours. Terminal elimination half-life was 11 hours for salmeterol and 9–10 hours for fluticasone propionate.Conclusions: Salmeterol/fluticasone Easyhaler was shown to be bioequivalent with the reference product.

Furosemide and Albumin for Diuresis of Edema (FADE): A parallel-group, blinded, pilot randomized controlled trial

PurposeTo assess the feasibility of a trial evaluating whether hyperoncotic albumin, in addition to diuretics, improves diuresis and facilitates liberation from mechanical ventilation in critically ill adults. Materials and methodsWe randomized 46 hemodynamically stable patients with hypoalbuminemia, prescribed diuretics by treating clinicians, to receive 100 mL of 25% albumin or 0.9% saline placebo BID, for three days, in blinded fashion. We chose five feasibility measurements: enrolment of 50% of eligible patients, at least one patient/week; administration of study treatment within 2 h of diuretics in 85% of patients; completion of study regimen in 80% of patients; and avoidance of open label albumin in 85% of patients. Clinical outcomes included fluid balance, ventilator-free days, and mortality. ResultsWe randomized 85% of eligible patients. Eighty-four percent received study treatment within 2 h of diuretics, 69% received all doses of study treatment. Study treatment was held in the albumin and placebo groups because of no further need for diuresis (4 vs. 1), hypotension (2 v. 4), and albumin > 35 (1 v. 0). Twenty percent of patients received open-label albumin. Clinical outcomes were similar between groups. ConclusionsThe current study design did not demonstrate feasibility, but can inform the design of a definitive trial.

Phase II Study Of Anti-CD19 Antibody Drug Conjugate (SAR3419) In Combination With Rituximab: Clinical Activity and Safety In Patients With Relapsed/Refractory Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (NCT01470456)

BackgroundSAR3419 is a humanized anti-CD19 antibody conjugated to maytansin DM4, a potent cytotoxic agent. SAR3419 targets CD19, an antigen expressed in the majority of B cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL). The recommended dose for single agent SAR3419 was previously determined to be 55 mg/m2 administered IV every week for 4 weeks, then bi-weekly. In phase I, clinical activity was shown mainly in patients with follicular lymphoma (FL) and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). (Trial funded by Sanofi). MethodsPatients (pts) with a CD20+ and CD19+ DLBCL relapsing or refractory (R/R) after at least 1 standard treatment including rituximab and not candidate for or who already underwent transplantation, were eligible. Refractory disease was defined as unresponsive to or progressing within 6 months of regimen completion. Fresh (or recent formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded) biopsy was required before SAR3419 start.Pts received 375 mg/m2 of rituximab (R) IV and 55 mg/m² of SAR3419 on day 1, 8, 15, 22 (35-day cycle 1), followed by bi-weekly R and SAR3419 at the same doses for 2 additional 28-day cycles, provided there was no disease progression or other study discontinuation criteria met. The primary objective was the overall response rate (ORR) following Cheson 2007 criteria, with the first tumor assessment being done 42 days after the last study treatment administration. Secondary objectives were: safety, pharmacokinetics (PK), duration of response (DOR), progression free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and correlation of the antitumor and biological activity of the combination with tumor biomarker status. ResultsFifty-three pts were enrolled, 52 treated. Median age was 66.5 years (range 38-85), 50% were male; 23%, 33% and 40% of patients had received 1, 2 or ≥3 prior chemo/immunotherapy regimens for DLBCL, respectively. Of the enrolled patients, 3.8% had received no prior regimen for DLBCL and therefore were excluded from primary analysis for efficacy. Seventy-three percent had stage III/IV disease, 59% had elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and 63% had bulky disease. Sixty percent were refractory to first regimen (primary refractory), 16% were refractory to last regimen and 24% were relapsed pts. The ORR in the per-protocol population (n=45) was 31.1% (80% confidence interval (CI): 22.0% to 41.6%). Among the 14 responders, 5 had progressed at the time of analysis, with duration of response beyond 6 months for 3 of them. The ORR was 58.3% (80% CI: 36.2% to 78.1%) for patients with relapsed DLBCL (n=12), 42.9% (80% CI: 17.0% to 72.1%) for pts refractory to last regimen (n=7) and 15.4% (80% CI: 6.9% to 28.4%) for primary refractory pts (n=26). Overall survival and PFS data are not yet mature. Biomarkers and PK data will be presented at the meeting.The most common (≥10%) all grades non-hematologic treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were asthenia (25.0%), nausea (21.2%), cough (19.2%), diarrhea (17.3%), weight decrease (17.3%), vomiting (15.4%), dyspnea (15.4%), abdominal pain (13.5%), back pain (13.5%), pyrexia (13.5%) and constipation (11.5%). Related grade 3-4 TEAEs were: 1 syncope, 1 bronchospasm, 2 neutropenia and 1 anemia. No TEAEs led to treatment discontinuation, no grade 3-4 peripheral neuropathy or grade 3-4 ocular events were observed. Two pts experienced grade 2 keratitis, both rapidly recovered with local treatment. Hematological toxicity was moderate, with grade 3-4 neutropenia and thrombocytopenia in 15.7% and 9.8% pts, respectively. No complications related to neutropenia were reported. Grade 3 transaminase increase was observed in 1 patient. ConclusionsThe combination of SAR3419 plus R showed moderate ORR in R/R DLBCL; however the study population was of poor prognosis (60% refractory to first line therapy). In the relapsed DLBCL patients a higher ORR was observed. SAR3419 plus R presented with a favorable safety profile. Further investigations on biomarker expression are ongoing to identify a sub-group of pts who could have better benefited from this combination. Disclosures:Coiffier:Sanofi: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Off Label Use: Phase II of SAR3419. Ribrag:Johnson & Johnson: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Bayer: Research Funding; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Servier: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Cartron:LFB: Honoraria; GSK: Honoraria; Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau. Casasnovas:Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding. Hatteville:Sanofi: Employment. Zilocchi:Sanofi: Employment. Oprea:Sanofi: Employment. Tilly:Amgen: Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria; Pfizer: Honoraria; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Roche: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding.

Traitement de la douleur après avulsion dentaire : essai clinique randomisé en double aveugle comparant deux formulations de paracétamol, caféine et poudre d’opium versus tramadol et placebo

The aim of this study was to evaluate the analgesic efficacy and the safety of the association, paracetamol, opium prepared and caffeine, in two different dosages as compared to the conventional analgesic tramadol hydrochloride, on acute postoperative dental pain. We conducted a randomised, double-blind, multicentre, parallel-group clinical trial to test the efficacy and safety of single doses of two associations; paracetamol 500 mg, caffeine 50mg, opium prepared 25, and paracetamol 500 mg, caffeine 50mg, opium prepared 50mg, as compared to tramadol hydrochloride 100mg (called hereafter tramadol 100), and placebo, in the control of postoperative pain following the removal of 2 ipsilateral impacted third molars. The primary efficacy criterion was the sum of pain intensity differences as assessed every 30 minutes within 3 hours after the baseline assessment and administration of study treatment (SPID(0-3h)). Of the 232 randomised patients, 228 (98%) completed the study. Analysis of the primary efficacy criterion (SPID(0-3h)) established: (i) the superiority of the 3 active study treatments vs. placebo (p<0.005); (ii) non-inferiority of paracetamol, caffeine, and opium 25mg, and paracetamol, caffeine, and opium 50mg vs. tramadol. Besides, both formulations of paracetamol, caffeine, and opium showed: (i) a faster onset of analgesic effect as compared to tramadol 100; (ii) a significantly stronger analgesic efficacy than tramadol 100, as measured 1 hour after the treatment intake; this superiority lasted all over the study duration for paracetamol, caffeine, and opium 50mg but not for paracetamol, caffeine, and opium 25mg. No unexpected safety concerns occurred, the two formulations of paracetamol, caffeine, and opium showed a good safety profile especially with paracetamol, caffeine, and opium 25mg as compared to tramadol. This study evidenced the non-inferiority of the paracetamol, caffeine, and opium 25mg or 50mg vs. tramadol 100, and even though the strengths of the tested formulations were higher than that of the 2009, commercialised formulation of paracetamol, caffeine, and opium, efficacy was not offset by an alteration of the well recognised safety profile of the less strengthened formulation of the product being in use for decades.

A Phase III, Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Comparative Trial of AMD3100 (Plerixafor)+G-CSF vs. G-CSF+Placebo for Mobilization in Multiple Myeloma (MM) Patients for Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell (aHSC) Transplantation.

AMD3100, Plerixafor (A)+G-CSF (G) have effectively allowed aHSC mobilization in Phase I and II studies. This Phase III, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study compares the safety and efficacy of A+G Vs. placebo (P)+G to mobilize and transplant patients with MM.Methods: Adult MM patients requiring an aHSC transplant, in first or second CR or PR were eligible to participate. Patients were declared for single or tandem transplant with the second transplant occurring within 6 months from the first. Patients received G (10μg/kg/day) subcutaneously (SQ) for 4 days; on the evening of Day 4 they received either A (240μg/kg SQ) or P. Patients underwent apheresis on Day 5 after an AM dose of G and 10–11 hours after administration of study treatment. Patients continued to receive the evening dose of study treatment followed by AM dose of G and apheresis for up to a total of 4 apheresis or until ≥6 x 106 CD34+ cells/kg were collected. Patients who failed to collect ≥2 x 106 CD34+ cells/kg were eligible for rescue therapy with A+G, without unblinding of randomized treatment. Only study cells were used for transplant. The primary endpoint was the percentage of patients who achieved ≥6 x 106 CD34+ cells/kg in 2 or less apheresis days. All patients will be followed for ≥12 months post-transplant.Results: 302 patients were enrolled and randomized into the study. All have completed 100 days follow-up and are included in this intent-to-treat analysis. Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. The primary endpoint was met in 106/128 (72%) patients in the A+G group and 53/154 (34%) patients in the P+G group, p<0.0001.The figure shows that 54% of A+G patients reached target after 1 day of apheresis but 56% P+G patients required up to 4 days of apheresis to reach target. 7 patients in the P+G group required rescue therapy and all collected ≥2 x 106 CD34+ cells/kg after A+G rescue. 142 patients (96%) in A+G group and 136 patients (88%) in the P+G group underwent transplant. Tandem transplants were performed in 32 and 28 patients in A+G and P+G groups, respectively. Median time to engraftment was Day 11 for PMN and Day 18 for platelets in both groups. Grafts were durable in all patients in both group at ≥100 days post-transplant. Patients in the A+G group experienced more GI effects and injection site erythema than patients in the P+G group. These adverse events were generally mild. There were no drug related serious adverse events in either group.Conclusions: In this study, the addition of AMD3100 to G-CSF is generally safe and well tolerated and is superior to G-CSF alone for aHSC mobilization in MM patients. A+G patients were statistically significantly more likely to achieve target earlier than P+G patients and had successful transplant. [Display omitted]

A Phase III, Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo Controlled, Comparative Trial of AMD3100 (Plerixafor)+G-CSF vs. Placebo+G-CSF in Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL) Patients for Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell (aHSC) Transplantation.

AMD3100, Plerixafor (A)+G-CSF (G) have safely and effectively allowed aHSC mobilization in Phase I and II studies. This Phase III, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study compared the safety and efficacy of A+G versus Placebo (P)+G to mobilize and transplant patients with NHL.Methods: Adult NHL patients requiring an aHSC transplant, in first or second CR or PR were eligible to participate. Patients received G (10μg/kg/day) subcutaneously (SQ) for 4 days. On the evening of Day 4, patients received either A (240μg/kg SQ) or P. Patients underwent apheresis on Day 5 after an AM dose of G and 10–11 hours after administration of study treatment. Patients continued to receive the evening dose of study treatment, followed by AM dose of G and apheresis for up to a total of 4 aphereses or until ≥5 x 106 CD34+cells/kg were collected. Only study cells were used for transplant. Patients who failed to mobilize ≥2 x 106 CD34+cells/kg could enter into a rescue arm of A+G, without unblinding of randomized treatment. The primary endpoint was the percentage of patients who achieved ≥5 x 106 CD34+cells/kg in 4 or less aphereses days. All patients will be followed for ≥12 months post-transplant.Results: 298 patients were enrolled and randomized. All patients have completed 100 days follow-up and are included in this intent-to-treat analysis. Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. The primary endpoint was met in 89/150 (59%) patients in the A+G group and 29/148 (20%) patients in the P+G group, p<0.0001. 130/150 (87%) patients in the A+G group and 70/148 (47%) patients in the P+G group collected ≥2 x 106 CD34+cells/kg in 4 or less aphereses days, p<0.0001. [Display omitted] The figure shows that more patients in the A+G group reached target after 1 day of apheresis than patients in the P+G group after 4 days of apheresis. A+G rescue was successful in 33/52 rescue patients in the P+G group and 4/10 rescue patients in the A+G group. 135 patients (90%) in A+G group and 82 patients (55%) in P+G group underwent transplantation. Median time to engraftment was Day 10 for PMN and Day 20 for platelets in both groups. Through 100 days, grafts were durable in all but 2 A+G (133/135) patients and in all P+G (82) patients. A+G patients experienced a higher incidence of GI effects (mild to moderate) and injection site erythema than P+G patients. There were 2 drug related serious adverse events in the A+G group and 1 in the P+G group.Conclusions: In this study, the addition of AMD3100 to G-CSF is generally safe and well tolerated and is superior to G-CSF alone for aHSC mobilization in NHL patients. A+G patients were statistically significantly more likely to achieve target cell collection quicker and to achieve sufficient cells for successful transplant than P+G patients.

Effect of azithromycin and clarithromycin therapy on pharyngeal carriage of macrolide-resistant streptococci in healthy volunteers: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

Resistance to antibiotics is a major public-health problem, and studies that link antibiotic use and resistance have shown an association but not a causal effect. We used the macrolides azithromycin and clarithromycin to investigate the direct effect of antibiotic exposure on resistance in the oral streptococcal flora of healthy volunteers. Volunteers were treated with azithromycin (n=74), clarithromycin (74), or placebo (76) in a randomised, double-blind trial. Pharyngeal swabs were obtained before and after administration of study treatment through 180 days. The proportion of streptococci that were macrolide resistant was assessed and the molecular basis of any change in resistance investigated. Analyses were done on an intent-to-treat basis. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00354952. The number of dropouts (n=20) was much the same in all groups until day 42; dropouts increased substantially at day 180 (105). Both macrolides significantly increased the proportion of macrolide-resistant streptococci compared with the placebo at all points studied, peaking at day 8 in the clarithromycin group (mean increase 50.0%, 95% CI 41.7-58.2; p<0.0001) and at day 4 in the azithromycin group (53.4%, 43.4-63.5; p<0.0001). The proportion of macrolide-resistant streptococci was higher after azithromycin treatment than after clarithromycin use, with the largest difference between the two groups at day 28 (17.4% difference, 9.2-25.6; p<0.0001). Use of clarithromycin, but not of azithromycin, selected for the erm(B) gene, which confers high-level macrolide resistance. This study shows that, notwithstanding the different outcomes of resistance selection, macrolide use is the single most important driver of the emergence of macrolide resistance in vivo. Physicians prescribing antibiotics should take into account the striking ecological side-effects of such antibiotics.

Analgesic efficacy of parenteral paracetamol (propacetamol) and diclofenac in post‐operative orthopaedic pain

Propacetamol is an injectable pro-drug of paracetamol (acetaminophen) with analgesic and antipyretic activities, especially used in the post-operative period. The aim of this study was to assess the analgesic efficacy and safety of intravenous paracetamol, administered as propacetamol, in comparison with placebo and intramuscular diclofenac in patients with post-operative pain. This was a randomized, double-blind, double-dummy study. One hundred and twenty patients with moderate to severe pain following total hip arthroplasty received either two administrations of propacetamol 2 g intravenously, 5 h apart (n = 40), one single administration of diclofenac 75 mg intramuscularly (n = 40) or placebo (n = 40). Efficacy measures were assessed before each drug administration, for the 5 h following each study treatment administration and for the total study duration of 10 h. Safety was assessed by reporting adverse events and changes in vital signs, electrocardiogram (ECG) and biochemical investigations before and 24 h after dosing. Both active treatments were effective and statistically superior to placebo over the whole study period, as indicated by the total pain relief score. No significant differences were found between propacetamol and diclofenac for any measures of analgesic activity. Only minor and common adverse events were reported, with no overall differences between the groups. Both active treatments were superior to placebo, and the overall efficacy of two intravenous infusions of propacetamol 2 g (equivalent to 1 g of paracetamol), 5 h apart, was not statistically different from that provided by a single intramuscular injection of diclofenac 75 mg over the first 5 h post-dose and over the total 10-h study period. The safety was good.

Demonstration of In Vivo Bioequivalence of a Generic Albuterol Metered-Dose Inhaler to Ventolin

To use histamine bronchoprovocation and bioassay statistical procedures to evaluate the in vivo bioequivalence of a generic albuterol metered-dose inhaler (MDI). A randomized, double-blind, balanced, crossover design was used to determine the potency of each generic albuterol MDI actuation relative to Ventolin (Glaxo Wellcome; Research Triangle Park, NC) administration. One treatment was administered on each of 4 study days. A histamine bronchoprovocation procedure was initiated 1.25 h before and 15 min after administration of the study treatment. Twenty-four nonsmoking subjects with mild-to-moderate asthma were studied (18 to 65 years of age; FEV(1), > 60% of predicted; and provocative concentration of histamine causing a 20% fall in FEV(1) [PC(20)], < or = 8 mg/mL at screening). One and four actuations (90 and 360 microg, respectively) of the generic MDI and of Ventolin MDI. Placebo inhalers were used to maintain blinding of inhaler and doses. The primary outcome variable was histamine PC(20) measured after study treatment administration. A significant dose-effect relationship was present (p < 0.0001). Deviation from parallelism of the generic and Ventolin dose-response curves (p = 0.95) and differences in overall mean response between the two formulations (p = 0.68) were not significant. Using Finney 2 x 2 bioassay statistical procedures, we estimated that one actuation of the generic albuterol MDI was equivalent to 1.01 puffs of Ventolin (90% confidence interval, 0.69 to 1.50). The generic albuterol MDI delivers a quantity of albuterol to the beta(2)-receptor site in the lung that is the bioequivalent to Ventolin. Further, this study reinforces the validity of this statistical methodology for determining in vivo bioequivalence.