Matilde Sanchez

Multicenter, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Lorcaserin for Weight Management

BACKGROUND Lorcaserin is a selective serotonin 2C receptor agonist that could be useful in reducing body weight. METHODS In this double-blind clinical trial, we randomly assigned 3182 obese or overweight adults (mean body-mass index [the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters] of 36.2) to receive lorcaserin at a dose of 10 mg, or placebo, twice daily for 52 weeks. All patients also underwent diet and exercise counseling. At week 52, patients in the placebo group continued to receive placebo but patients in the lorcaserin group were randomly reassigned to receive either placebo or lorcaserin. Primary outcomes were weight loss at 1 year and maintenance of weight loss at 2 years. Serial echocardiography was used to identify patients in whom valvulopathy (as defined by the Food and Drug Administration) developed. RESULTS At 1 year, 55.4% of patients (883 of 1595) receiving lorcaserin and 45.1% of patients (716 of 1587) receiving placebo remained in the trial; 1553 patients continued into year 2. At 1 year, 47.5% of patients in the lorcaserin group and 20.3% in the placebo group had lost 5% or more of their body weight (P<0.001), corresponding to an average loss of 5.8+/-0.2 kg with lorcaserin and 2.2+/-0.1 kg with placebo during year 1 (P<0.001). Among the patients who received lorcaserin during year 1 and who had lost 5% or more of their baseline weight at 1 year, the loss was maintained in more patients who continued to receive lorcaserin during year 2 (67.9%) than in patients who received placebo during year 2 (50.3%, P<0.001). Among 2472 patients evaluated at 1 year and 1127 evaluated at 2 years, the rate of cardiac valvulopathy was not increased with the use of lorcaserin. Among the most frequent adverse events reported with lorcaserin were headache, dizziness, and nausea. The rates of serious adverse events in the two groups were similar. CONCLUSIONS In conjunction with behavioral modification, lorcaserin was associated with significant weight loss and improved maintenance of weight loss, as compared with placebo. (Funded by Arena Pharmaceuticals; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00395135.)

A one-year randomized trial of lorcaserin for weight loss in obese and overweight adults: the BLOSSOM trial.

CONTEXT Lorcaserin is a novel selective agonist of the serotonin 2C receptor. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to evaluate the effects of lorcaserin on body weight, cardiovascular risk factors, and safety in obese and overweight patients. DESIGN AND SETTING This randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel arm trial took place at 97 U.S. research centers. PATIENTS Patients included 4008 patients, aged 18-65 yr, with a body mass index between 30 and 45 kg/m(2) or between 27 and 29.9 kg/m(2) with an obesity-related comorbid condition. INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomly assigned in a 2:1:2 ratio to receive lorcaserin 10 mg twice daily (BID), lorcaserin 10 mg once daily (QD), or placebo. All patients received diet and exercise counseling. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The ordered primary endpoints were proportion of patients achieving at least 5% reduction in body weight, mean change in body weight, and proportion of patients achieving at least 10% reduction in body weight at 1 yr. Serial echocardiograms monitored heart valve function. RESULTS Significantly more patients treated with lorcaserin 10 mg BID and QD lost at least 5% of baseline body weight (47.2 and 40.2%, respectively) as compared with placebo (25.0%, P < 0.001 vs. lorcaserin BID). Least squares mean (95% confidence interval) weight loss with lorcaserin BID and QD was 5.8% (5.5-6.2%) and 4.7% (4.3-5.2%), respectively, compared with 2.8% (2.5-3.2%) with placebo (P < 0.001 vs. lorcaserin BID; least squares mean difference, 3.0%). Weight loss of at least 10% was achieved by 22.6 and 17.4% of patients receiving lorcaserin 10 mg BID and QD, respectively, and 9.7% of patients in the placebo group (P < 0.001 vs. lorcaserin BID). Headache, nausea, and dizziness were the most common lorcaserin-related adverse events. U.S. Food and Drug Administration-defined echocardiographic valvulopathy occurred in 2.0% of patients on placebo and 2.0% on lorcaserin 10 mg BID. CONCLUSIONS Lorcaserin administered in conjunction with a lifestyle modification program was associated with dose-dependent weight loss that was significantly greater than with placebo.

Randomized Placebo‐Controlled Clinical Trial of Lorcaserin for Weight Loss in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: The BLOOM‐DM Study

The BLOOM‐DM (Behavioral Modification and Lorcaserin for Obesity and Overweight Management in Diabetes Mellitus) study evaluated efficacy and safety of lorcaserin for weight loss in patients with type 2 diabetes. Secondary objectives included evaluations of glycemic control, lipids, blood pressure, and quality of life. This 1‐year, randomized, placebo‐controlled trial enrolled 604 patients 1:1:1 to placebo, lorcaserin 10 mg once daily (QD) or lorcaserin 10 mg twice daily (BID). Patients were treated with metformin, a sulfonylurea (SFU) or both; had glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) 7–10%; were 18–65 years old; and had BMI 27–45 kg/m2. Patients received diet and exercise counseling. Safety monitoring included serial echocardiograms. Mean (± SD) age was 52.7 ± 8.7; 54.2% were women; 60.5% were white, 20.9% were African American, and 13.8% were Hispanic. Mean (± SD) weight was 103.6 ± 17.8 kg; BMI was 36.0 ± 4.5 kg/m2. Most patients (91.7%) took metformin; 50.2% took a SFU. More patients lost ≥5% body weight with lorcaserin BID (37.5%; P < 0.001) or lorcaserin QD (44.7%; P < 0.001) vs. placebo (16.1%; modified intent to treat (MITT)/last observation carried forward (LOCF)). Least square mean (± SEM) weight change was −4.5 ± 0.35% with lorcaserin BID and −5.0 ± 0.5% with lorcaserin QD vs. −1.5 ± 0.36% with placebo (P < 0.001 for each). HbA1c decreased 0.9 ± 0.06 with lorcaserin BID, 1.0 ± 0.09 with lorcaserin QD, and 0.4 ± 0.06 with placebo (P < 0.001 for each); fasting glucose decreased 27.4 ± 2.5 mg/dl, −28.4 ± 3.8 mg/dl, and 11.9 ± 2.5 mg/dl, respectively (P < 0.001 for each). Symptomatic hypoglycemia occurred in 7.4% of patients on lorcaserin BID, 10.5% on lorcaserin QD, and 6.3% on placebo. Common adverse events were headache, back pain, nasopharyngitis, and nausea. Lorcaserin was associated with significant weight loss and improvement in glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Lorcaserin, A 5-HT2C Receptor Agonist, Reduces Body Weight by Decreasing Energy Intake without Influencing Energy Expenditure

CONTEXT Lorcaserin, a selective 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)(2C) receptor agonist, reduces body weight. It is unclear whether weight loss is due to reduced energy intake (EI) or also to enhanced energy expenditure (EE). OBJECTIVE This study tested the effect of lorcaserin on EI and EE. DESIGN, PARTICIPANTS, AND INTERVENTION In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, 57 (39 women) overweight and obese (body mass index, 27-45 kg/m(2)) adults were randomized to placebo (n = 28) or 10 mg twice daily lorcaserin (n = 29) for 56 d. Weight maintenance was imposed during d 1-7. Beginning on d 8, participants followed a diet and exercise plan targeting a 600 kcal/d deficit. OUTCOMES At baseline and after 7 and 56 d of treatment, we measured body weight, body composition (dual x-ray absorptiometry), blood pressure, heart rate, EI at lunch and dinner, subjective appetite ratings, and 24-h EE and 24-h-respiratory quotient (RQ), measured by indirect calorimetry in a respiratory chamber. RESULTS After 7 d of weight maintenance, EI was significantly (P < 0.01) reduced with lorcaserin but not placebo (mean ± sem for lorcaserin, -286 ± 86 kcal; placebo, -147 ± 89 kcal). After 56 d, lorcaserin resulted in significantly larger reductions in body weight (lorcaserin, -3.8 ± 0.4 kg; placebo, -2.2 ± 0.5 kg; P < 0.01), EI (lorcaserin, -470 ± 87 kcal; placebo, -205 ± 91 kcal; P < .05), and appetite ratings than in placebo. Changes in 24-h EE and 24-h RQ did not differ between groups, even after 24-h EE was adjusted for body weight and composition. Compared with placebo, lorcaserin had no effect on systolic or diastolic blood pressure or heart rate after 56 d. CONCLUSIONS Lorcaserin reduces body weight through reduced EI, not altered EE or RQ.

Echocardiographic assessment of cardiac valvular regurgitation with lorcaserin from analysis of 3 phase 3 clinical trials.

Background—Lorcaserin is a selective 5-HT2C agonist evaluated for weight management in clinical trials. Echocardiographic monitoring was conducted to test the hypothesis that selective 5-HT2C agonism would avoid valvular heart disease. Methods and Results—Echocardiographic and weight change data from 5249 obese and overweight patients in 3 phase 3 trials were integrated. Treatment duration with 10 mg lorcaserin twice daily or placebo was 52 weeks. The proportions of patients who developed Food and Drug Administration–defined valvulopathy (≥ mild aortic or ≥ moderate mitral regurgitation) and changes in regurgitant grade at each heart valve were evaluated. Possible associations between weight or body mass index change and valvulopathy were explored. New valvulopathy was present in 2.04% of placebo and 2.37% of lorcaserin recipients at 52 weeks (risk difference, 0.33%; 95% confidence interval, −0.46 to 1.13; risk ratio, 1.16 [all patients with sufficient echocardiographic data, last-observation-carried-forward imputation] or 1.03 [patients who completed 52 weeks]). Changes in weight and body mass index were negatively associated with presence of valvulopathy at week 52 (P=0.02 and P=0.04, respectively); a 5% decrease in weight was associated with an odds ratio of 1.15 for Food and Drug Administration–defined valvulopathy. Most changes in regurgitation were ±1 grade in both treatment groups at all heart valves. Conclusions—In 3 prospective placebo-controlled trials with integrated data for 5249 patients, the rate of echocardiographic valvulopathy was similar with lorcaserin and placebo. Point estimates for risk ratios ranged from 1.03 to 1.16 and may be at least partially influenced by greater weight loss in the lorcaserin group than in the placebo group. Clinical Trial Registration—URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifiers: NCT00395135, NCT00603291, NCT00603902.

PISC Expert Team White Paper: Toward a Consistent Standard of Evidence When Evaluating the Efficacy of an Experimental Treatment From a Randomized, Active-Controlled Trial

The double-blind placebo-controlled trial is the established standard for determining the efficacy of an experimental treatment. However, there are circumstances where the use of a placebo is unethical or impractical, and active-controlled trials are a common alternative. In an active-controlled trial, the objective is typically to show that the effect of the experimental treatment is within some prespecified margin of the control effect. The margin is often chosen specifically to guarantee 50% or 75% preservation of the control effect over placebo. An implicit assumption is that a higher standard of efficacy is required when a new treatment is evaluated in an active-controlled trial. In this article, we argue that standards based on margins and/or percent preservation are inherently arbitrary and lacking in objective clinical or scientific justification. The use of these ad hoc standards introduces logical inconsistencies for regulatory evaluation such that safe and effective treatments may be denied regulatory approval. We therefore argue that active-controlled trials should not require an arbitrarily higher standard of evidence than placebo-controlled trials. We discuss how “synthesis” analyses combining the results of both an active-controlled trial and one or more historical trials can address methodological challenges and provide for adequate estimation and testing of an experimental treatment effect relative to placebo.

Views on Emerging Issues Pertaining to Data Monitoring Committees for Adaptive Trials

In this paper, the authors express their views on a range of topics related to data monitoring committees (DMCs) for adaptive trials that have emerged recently. The topics pertain to DMC roles and responsibilities, membership, training, and communication. DMCs have been monitoring trials using the group sequential design (GSD) for over 30 years. While decisions may be more complicated with novel adaptive designs, the fundamental roles and responsibilities of a DMC will remain the same, namely, to protect patient safety and ensure the scientific integrity of the trial. It will be the DMC’s responsibility to recommend changes to the trial within the scope of a prespecified adaptation plan or decision criteria and not to otherwise recommend changes to the study design except for serious safety-related concerns. Nevertheless, compared with traditional data monitoring, some additional considerations are necessary when convening DMCs for novel adaptive designs. They include the need to identify DMC members who are familiar with adaptive design and to consider possible sponsor involvement in unique situations. The need for additional expertise in DMC members has prompted some researchers to propose alternative DMC models or alternative governance model. These various options and authors’ views on them are expressed in this article.

Pharmacokinetics and Tolerability of Lorcaserin in Special Populations: Elderly Patients and Patients with Renal or Hepatic Impairment

PURPOSE To determine whether dosage adjustment is likely to be necessary for effective and well-tolerated use of a pharmaceutical agent, guidance documents from the US Food and Drug Administration recommend pharmacokinetics studies in patients with impaired renal or impaired hepatic function and in the elderly population. Three studies were conducted to evaluate the pharmacokinetic properties and tolerability of lorcaserin in these populations. METHODS Lorcaserin was evaluated in single-dose pharmacokinetics studies of 3 overweight/obese populations: (1) elderly (aged >65 years) patients; (2) patients with impaired renal function; and (3) those with impaired hepatic function. FINDINGS In elderly patients, Cmax was lower (geometric mean ratio [GMR], 0.83; 90% CI, 0.71-0.97), but AUC was unchanged versus adult patients. In patients with renal impairment, Cmax was reduced versus that in patients with normal renal function (GMR: mild impairment, 0.99 [90% CI, 0.76-1.29]; moderate, 0.70 [90% CI, 0.54-0.90]; and severe, 0.69 [90% CI, 0.53-0.89]); no trend in AUC was observed in this group versus renal impairment. In patients with hepatic impairment, Cmax was decreased (GMR: mild impairment, 0.92 [90% CI, 0.76-1.11]; moderate, 0.86 [90% CI, 0.71-1.04]), and AUC was increased versus patients with normal hepatic function. IMPLICATIONS Based on these findings, no lorcaserin dose adjustments are necessary in elderly patients with normal renal function or in patients with mild/moderate renal or hepatic impairment. ClinicalTrials.gov identifiers: NCT00828581, NCT00828438, and NCT00828932.