Testing Of New Drug For Patients With Neuroendocrine Tumors

Testing Of New Drug For Patients With Neuroendocrine Tumors

• "Pasireotide is a novel multireceptor-targeted somatostatin analogue that binds to four of the five known somatostatin receptor subtypes... Because of its binding ability, it may offer symptom reduction for patients who have eventually failed to respond to traditional therapy."
  
• The multicenter clinical trial, conducted at sites in the United States and Europe, enrolled 89 patients and evaluated 44 for efficacy and 45 for tolerability. Pasireotide "effectively controlled symptoms." Evaluation of tumor response in 23 patients showed 13 with stable disease and 10 with progressive disease. The drug was "effective and well-tolerated" and adverse events, most commonly gastrointestinal, were "mild or moderately severe."
  
• A Phase III study evaluating pasireotide versus octreotide is ongoing for patients with advanced NET whose disease-related symptoms have been inadequately controlled.