Yumi Kubo

Effect of cinacalcet on cardiovascular disease in patients undergoing dialysis

BACKGROUND Disorders of mineral metabolism, including secondary hyperparathyroidism, are thought to contribute to extraskeletal (including vascular) calcification among patients with chronic kidney disease. It has been hypothesized that treatment with the calcimimetic agent cinacalcet might reduce the risk of death or nonfatal cardiovascular events in such patients. METHODS In this clinical trial, we randomly assigned 3883 patients with moderate-to-severe secondary hyperparathyroidism (median level of intact parathyroid hormone, 693 pg per milliliter [10th to 90th percentile, 363 to 1694]) who were undergoing hemodialysis to receive either cinacalcet or placebo. All patients were eligible to receive conventional therapy, including phosphate binders, vitamin D sterols, or both. The patients were followed for up to 64 months. The primary composite end point was the time until death, myocardial infarction, hospitalization for unstable angina, heart failure, or a peripheral vascular event. The primary analysis was performed on the basis of the intention-to-treat principle. RESULTS The median duration of study-drug exposure was 21.2 months in the cinacalcet group, versus 17.5 months in the placebo group. The primary composite end point was reached in 938 of 1948 patients (48.2%) in the cinacalcet group and 952 of 1935 patients (49.2%) in the placebo group (relative hazard in the cinacalcet group vs. the placebo group, 0.93; 95% confidence interval, 0.85 to 1.02; P=0.11). Hypocalcemia and gastrointestinal adverse events were significantly more frequent in patients receiving cinacalcet. CONCLUSIONS In an unadjusted intention-to-treat analysis, cinacalcet did not significantly reduce the risk of death or major cardiovascular events in patients with moderate-to-severe secondary hyperparathyroidism who were undergoing dialysis. (Funded by Amgen; EVOLVE ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00345839.).

Cinacalcet, fibroblast growth factor-23, and cardiovascular disease in hemodialysis: The evaluation of cinacalcet HCl therapy to lower cardiovascular events (EVOLVE) trial

Background —Patients with kidney disease have disordered bone and mineral metabolism including elevated serum concentrations of fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23). The latter are associated with cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. The objective was to determine the effects of the calcimimetic cinacalcet ( versus placebo) on reducing serum FGF23 and whether changes in FGF23 are associated with death and cardiovascular events. Methods and Results —This was a secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial comparing cinacalcet to placebo in addition to conventional therapy (phosphate binders/vitamin D) in patients receiving hemodialysis with secondary hyperparathyroidism (iPTH ≥ 300 pg/mL). The primary study end point was time to death or the first nonfatal cardiovascular event (myocardial infarction, hospitalization for angina, heart failure, or a peripheral vascular event). This analysis included 2985 patients (77% of randomized) with serum samples at baseline and 2602 (67%) patients with samples at both baseline and week 20. The results demonstrated a significantly larger proportion of patients randomized to cinacalcet had ≥30% (68% versus 28%) reductions in FGF23. Among patients randomized to cinacalcet, a ≥30% reduction in FGF23 between baseline and week 20 was associated with a nominally significant reduction in the primary composite endpoint (relative hazard (HR) 0.82; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.69, 0.98), cardiovascular mortality (HR 0.66; 0.50, 0.87), sudden cardiac death (HR 0.57; 0.37, 0.86), and heart failure (HR 0.69; 0.48, 0.99). Conclusions —Treatment with cinacalcet significantly lowers serum FGF23. Treatment-induced reductions in serum FGF23 are associated with lower rates of cardiovascular death and major cardiovascular events. Clinical Trial Registration Information —ClinicalTrials.gov. Identifier: [NCT00345839][1]. [1]: /lookup/external-ref?link_type=CLINTRIALGOV&access_num=NCT00345839&atom=%2Fcirculationaha%2Fearly%2F2015%2F06%2F09%2FCIRCULATIONAHA.114.013876.atomBackground— Patients with kidney disease have disordered bone and mineral metabolism, including elevated serum concentrations of fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF23). These elevated concentrations are associated with cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. The objective was to determine the effects of the calcimimetic cinacalcet (versus placebo) on reducing serum FGF23 and whether changes in FGF23 are associated with death and cardiovascular events. Methods and Results— This was a secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial comparing cinacalcet to placebo in addition to conventional therapy (phosphate binders/vitamin D) in patients receiving hemodialysis with secondary hyperparathyroidism (intact parathyroid hormone ≥300 pg/mL). The primary study end point was time to death or a first nonfatal cardiovascular event (myocardial infarction, hospitalization for angina, heart failure, or a peripheral vascular event). This analysis included 2985 patients (77% of randomized) with serum samples at baseline and 2602 patients (67%) with samples at both baseline and week 20. The results demonstrated that a significantly larger proportion of patients randomized to cinacalcet had ≥30% (68% versus 28%) reductions in FGF23. Among patients randomized to cinacalcet, a ≥30% reduction in FGF23 between baseline and week 20 was associated with a nominally significant reduction in the primary composite end point (relative hazard, 0.82; 95% confidence interval, 0.69–0.98), cardiovascular mortality (relative hazard, 0.66; 95% confidence interval, 0.50–0.87), sudden cardiac death (relative hazard, 0.57; 95% confidence interval, 0.37–0.86), and heart failure (relative hazard, 0.69; 95% confidence interval, 0.48–0.99). Conclusions— Treatment with cinacalcet significantly lowers serum FGF23. Treatment-induced reductions in serum FGF23 are associated with lower rates of cardiovascular death and major cardiovascular events. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00345839.Background— Patients with kidney disease have disordered bone and mineral metabolism, including elevated serum concentrations of fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF23). These elevated concentrations are associated with cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. The objective was to determine the effects of the calcimimetic cinacalcet (versus placebo) on reducing serum FGF23 and whether changes in FGF23 are associated with death and cardiovascular events. Methods and Results— This was a secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial comparing cinacalcet to placebo in addition to conventional therapy (phosphate binders/vitamin D) in patients receiving hemodialysis with secondary hyperparathyroidism (intact parathyroid hormone ≥300 pg/mL). The primary study end point was time to death or a first nonfatal cardiovascular event (myocardial infarction, hospitalization for angina, heart failure, or a peripheral vascular event). This analysis included 2985 patients (77% of randomized) with serum samples at baseline and 2602 patients (67%) with samples at both baseline and week 20. The results demonstrated that a significantly larger proportion of patients randomized to cinacalcet had ≥30% (68% versus 28%) reductions in FGF23. Among patients randomized to cinacalcet, a ≥30% reduction in FGF23 between baseline and week 20 was associated with a nominally significant reduction in the primary composite end point (relative hazard, 0.82; 95% confidence interval, 0.69–0.98), cardiovascular mortality (relative hazard, 0.66; 95% confidence interval, 0.50–0.87), sudden cardiac death (relative hazard, 0.57; 95% confidence interval, 0.37–0.86), and heart failure (relative hazard, 0.69; 95% confidence interval, 0.48–0.99). Conclusions— Treatment with cinacalcet significantly lowers serum FGF23. Treatment-induced reductions in serum FGF23 are associated with lower rates of cardiovascular death and major cardiovascular events. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: . Unique identifier: [NCT00345839][1]. # CLINICAL PERSPECTIVE {#article-title-36} [1]: /lookup/external-ref?link_type=CLINTRIALGOV&access_num=NCT00345839&atom=%2Fcirculationaha%2F132%2F1%2F27.atom

A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study to Assess the Efficacy and Safety of Cinacalcet HCl in Participants With CKD Not Receiving Dialysis

BACKGROUND Secondary hyperparathyroidism is observed in patients with early chronic kidney disease (CKD). This study investigated the safety and efficacy of cinacalcet for secondary hyperparathyroidism in participants with CKD not receiving dialysis. STUDY DESIGN Double-blind, randomized, 32-week, phase 3 study. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS 404 participants with stage 3 or 4 CKD from 73 centers in 9 countries. INTERVENTIONS Cinacalcet:placebo (3:1 ratio). OUTCOMES & MEASUREMENTS Proportion of participants with a mean decrease of 30% or greater in intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) level, proportion with iPTH level of 70 or less or 110 or less pg/mL (stage 3 and 4 CKD, respectively), and mean percentage of iPTH change from baseline, all during the efficacy-assessment phase. RESULTS A greater proportion of cinacalcet than placebo participants achieved a 30% or greater decrease in iPTH level (74% versus 28%; P < 0.001), corresponding to a 43.1% decrease in iPTH level from baseline (cinacalcet) compared with a 1.1% increase (placebo). At week 32, serum calcium levels were 8.9 +/- 0.8 mg/dL (-8.9%; cinacalcet) and 9.9 +/- 0.6 mg/dL (+0.8%; placebo), phosphorus levels were 4.5 +/- 1.0 mg/dL (+21.4%) and 4.0 +/- 0.7 mg/dL (+6.8%), and calcium-phosphorus product values were 40.1 +/- 8.3 mg(2)/dL(2) (+18.9%) and 38.9 +/- 6.9 mg(2)/dL(2) (+17.1%), respectively. During the study course, 62% (cinacalcet) and 1% (placebo) of participants experienced 2 consecutive serum calcium concentrations less than 8.4 mg/dL. They generally were asymptomatic and without significant clinical consequences. Treatment generally was well tolerated, and most adverse events were mild to moderate in severity. LIMITATIONS The study was not designed to assess the effects of cinacalcet on vascular calcification, bone histomorphometric parameters, or other clinical outcomes. It is not known whether the observed differences in changes in iPTH levels are clinically more important than observed differences in changes in serum calcium or phosphorus levels or dosages of vitamin D sterols and phosphate binders. CONCLUSIONS These data show that cinacalcet treatment in patients with CKD not receiving dialysis can decrease plasma iPTH levels, but with frequent (albeit generally asymptomatic) serum calcium levels less than 8.4 mg/dL and increases in serum phosphorus levels.

The Effect of Cinacalcet on Calcific Uremic Arteriolopathy Events in Patients Receiving Hemodialysis: The EVOLVE Trial

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Uncontrolled secondary hyperparathyroidism (sHPT) in patients with ESRD is a risk factor for calcific uremic arteriolopathy (CUA; calciphylaxis). DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS Adverse event reports collected during the Evaluation of Cinacalcet HCl Therapy to Lower Cardiovascular Events trial were used to determine the frequency of CUA in patients receiving hemodialysis who had moderate to severe sHPT, as well as the effects of cinacalcet versus placebo. CUA events were collected while patients were receiving the study drug. RESULTS Among the 3861 trial patients who received at least one dose of the study drug, 18 patients randomly assigned to placebo and six assigned to cinacalcet developed CUA (unadjusted relative hazard, 0.31; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.13 to 0.79; P=0.014). Corresponding cumulative event rates (95% CI) at year 4 were 0.011% (0.006% to 0.018%) and 0.005% (0.002% to 0.010%). By multivariable analysis, other factors associated with CUA included female sex, higher body mass index, higher diastolic BP, and history of dyslipidemia or parathyroidectomy. Median (10%, 90% percentile) plasma parathyroid hormone concentrations proximal to the report of CUA were 796 (225, 2093) pg/ml and 410 (71, 4957) pg/ml in patients randomly assigned to placebo and cinacalcet, respectively. Active use of vitamin K antagonists was recorded in 11 of 24 patients with CUA, nine randomly assigned to placebo, and two to cinacalcet, in contrast to 5%-7% at any one time point in patients in whom CUA was not reported. CONCLUSION Cinacalcet appeared to reduce the incidence of CUA in hemodialysis recipients who have moderate to severe sHPT.

Effects of Cinacalcet on Atherosclerotic and Nonatherosclerotic Cardiovascular Events in Patients Receiving Hemodialysis: The EValuation Of Cinacalcet HCl Therapy to Lower CardioVascular Events (EVOLVE) Trial

Background Premature cardiovascular disease limits the duration and quality of life on long‐term hemodialysis. The objective of this study was to define the frequency of fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular events attributable to atherosclerotic and nonatherosclerotic mechanisms, risk factors for these events, and the effects of cinacalcet, using adjudicated data collected during the EValuation of Cinacalcet HCl Therapy to Lower CardioVascular Events (EVOLVE) Trial. Methods and Results EVOLVE was a randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled clinical trial that randomized 3883 hemodialysis patients with moderate to severe secondary hyperparathyroidism to cinacalcet or matched placebo for up to 64 months. For this post hoc analysis, the outcome measure was fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular events reflecting atherosclerotic and nonatherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. During the trial, 1518 patients experienced an adjudicated cardiovascular event, including 958 attributable to nonatherosclerotic disease. Of 1421 deaths during the trial, 768 (54%) were due to cardiovascular disease. Sudden death was the most frequent fatal cardiovascular event, accounting for 24.5% of overall mortality. Combining fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular events, randomization to cinacalcet reduced the rates of sudden death and heart failure. Patients randomized to cinacalcet experienced fewer nonatherosclerotic cardiovascular events (adjusted relative hazard 0.84, 95% CI 0.74 to 0.96), while the effect of cinacalcet on atherosclerotic events did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions Accepting the limitations of post hoc analysis, any benefits of cinacalcet on cardiovascular disease in the context of hemodialysis may result from attenuation of nonatherosclerotic processes. Clinical Trials Registration Unique identifier: NCT00345839. URL: ClinicalTrials.gov.

Baseline characteristics of subjects enrolled in the Evaluation of Cinacalcet HCl Therapy to Lower Cardiovascular Events (EVOLVE) trial

BACKGROUND Secondary hyperparathyroidism (sHPT) and other abnormalities associated with chronic kidney disease-mineral bone disorder can contribute to dystrophic (including vascular) calcification. Dietary modification and variety of medications can be used to attenuate the severity of sHPT. However, it is unknown whether any of these approaches can reduce the high risks of death and cardiovascular disease in patients with end-stage renal disease. METHODS The Evaluation of Cinacalcet HCl Therapy to Lower Cardiovascular Events (EVOLVE) trial was designed to test the hypothesis that treatment with the calcimimetic agent cinacalcet compared with placebo (on a background of conventional therapy including phosphate binders +/- vitamin D sterols) reduces time to death or non-fatal cardiovascular events (specifically myocardial infarction, unstable angina, heart failure and peripheral arterial disease events) among patients on hemodialysis with sHPT. This report describes baseline characteristics of enrolled subjects with a focus on regional variation. RESULTS There were 3883 subjects randomized from 22 countries, including the USA, Canada, Australia, three Latin American nations, Russia and 15 European nations. The burden of overt cardiovascular disease at baseline was high (e.g. myocardial infarction 12.4%, heart failure 23.3%). The median plasma parathyroid hormone concentration at baseline was 692 pg/mL (10%, 90% range, 363-1694 pg/mL). At baseline, 87.2% of subjects were prescribed phosphate binders and 57.5% were prescribed activated vitamin D derivatives. Demographic data, comorbid conditions and baseline laboratory data varied significantly across regions. CONCLUSIONS EVOLVE enrolled 3883 subjects on hemodialysis with moderate to severe sHPT. Inclusion of subjects from multiple global regions with varying degrees of disease severity will enhance the external validity of the trial results.

Relationship between Reductions in Parathyroid Hormone and Serum Phosphorus during the Management of Secondary Hyperparathyroidism with Calcimimetics in Hemodialysis Patients

Background/Aim: The relationship between changes in plasma parathyroid hormone (PTH) and serum phosphorus levels during treatment with cinacalcet was evaluated in hemodialysis patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) receiving stable doses of vitamin D. Methods: Post hoc analysis of the relationship between PTH and phosphorus levels before and during treatment with cinacalcet in adult subjects on hemodialysis with inadequately controlled SHPT (PTH ≥300 pg/ml) included: (1) correlation of absolute changes from baseline in mean PTH and phosphorus at week 2 and during weeks 13–26; (2) phosphorus levels at baseline and absolute and percent change of phosphorus after cinacalcet administration stratified by baseline PTH level; (3) two regression analyses models were fitted that (a) adjusted for baseline lab values to quantify the relationship between changes in PTH and changes in phosphorus and (b) a multivariate regression analysis that adjusted for clinically relevant subject characteristics. Results: Serum phosphorus concentrations at baseline were incrementally greater by PTH stratum from lowest to highest. Reductions in PTH from baseline after 13–26 weeks of treatment with cinacalcet were associated with corresponding reductions in serum phosphorus. Two weeks after starting treatment with cinacalcet when doses of vitamin D analogues, phosphate binders, and cinacalcet remained unchanged, there was a statistically significant association (p < 0.0001) between the decreases from baseline in PTH and phosphorus. Conclusions: Reductions in PTH during cinacalcet therapy are associated with decreases in serum phosphorus that cannot be explained by changes in vitamin D or phosphate binder therapy, and may reflect diminished phosphorus release from bone.

Assessing the treatment effect in a randomized controlled trial with extensive non-adherence: the EVOLVE trial.

Intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis is widely used to establish efficacy in randomized clinical trials. However, in a long-term outcomes study where non-adherence to study drug is substantial, the on-treatment effect of the study drug may be underestimated using the ITT analysis. The analyses presented herein are from the EVOLVE trial, a double-blind, placebo-controlled, event-driven cardiovascular outcomes study conducted to assess whether a treatment regimen including cinacalcet compared with placebo in addition to other conventional therapies reduces the risk of mortality and major cardiovascular events in patients receiving hemodialysis with secondary hyperparathyroidism. Pre-specified sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the impact of non-adherence on the estimated effect of cinacalcet. These analyses included lag-censoring, inverse probability of censoring weights (IPCW), rank preserving structural failure time model (RPSFTM) and iterative parameter estimation (IPE). The relative hazard (cinacalcet versus placebo) of mortality and major cardiovascular events was 0.93 (95% confidence interval 0.85, 1.02) using the ITT analysis; 0.85 (0.76, 0.95) using lag-censoring analysis; 0.81 (0.70, 0.92) using IPCW; 0.85 (0.66, 1.04) using RPSFTM and 0.85 (0.75, 0.96) using IPE. These analyses, while not providing definitive evidence, suggest that the intervention may have an effect while subjects are receiving treatment. The ITT method remains the established method to evaluate efficacy of a new treatment; however, additional analyses should be considered to assess the on-treatment effect when substantial non-adherence to study drug is expected or observed.

Analyzing Health-Related Quality of Life in the EVOLVE Trial: The Joint Impact of Treatment and Clinical Events.

Background: The Evaluation of Cinacalcet HCl Therapy to Lower Cardiovascular Events (EVOLVE) clinical trial evaluated the effects of cinacalcet on clinical events in patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism (sHPT) who were on hemodialysis. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was assessed by a generic, preference-based health outcome measure (EQ-5D) at scheduled visits and after a study event. Here, we report the HRQoL analysis from EVOLVE. Methods: We assessed changes in HRQoL from baseline to scheduled visits, and estimated the acute (3 mo) and chronic (beyond 3 mo) effects of sHPT-related events on HRQoL using generalized estimating equation analysis controlling for baseline HRQoL and randomized assignment. Results: Data on HRQoL were available for 3547 of 3883 subjects, with 1650 events in the placebo and 1502 in the cinacalcet arm. At the study end, no difference in change from baseline HRQoL was observed in the direct comparison of EQ-5D by treatment arms. The regression analysis showed significant effects of events on HRQoL and a modest positive effect of cinacalcet. Estimated quality-adjusted life-year gains were of similar magnitude based on the observed data or the predictions from the model, with only a small gain in precision from the predicted analysis. Conclusions: By contrast with a conventional comparison, a regression analysis demonstrated large decrements in HRQoL after events and a modest improvement in HRQoL with cinacalcet. As randomized controlled trials are rarely powered to detect differences in HRQoL, a prespecified regression analysis may be acceptable to improve precision of the effects and understand their origin.

Propensity score matching and persistence correction to reduce bias in comparative effectiveness: the effect of cinacalcet use on all-cause mortality.

The generalisability of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) may be limited by restrictive entry criteria or by their experimental nature. Observational research can provide complementary findings but is prone to bias. Employing propensity score matching, to reduce such bias, we compared the real‐life effect of cinacalcet use on all‐cause mortality (ACM) with findings from the Evaluation of Cinacalcet Therapy to Lower Cardiovascular Events (EVOLVE) RCT in chronic haemodialysis patients.