Wednesday, June 9, 2010

"Pasireotide (SOM230) Demonstrates Efficacy and Safety in Patients with Acromegaly"

Every once in a while I get frustrated about the treatment options available for acromegaly, but then I'll hear about new research being performed or new medications being developed and then I will feel a little better about the whole situation.  Doctors, drug companies, and researchers do care about us!  In that context, I thought I'd share news of a new drug being tested called Pasireotide.

There was a paper published about it recently, which caught my attention.  Specifically, the conclusion: 
"Conclusions: Pasireotide is a promising treatment for acromegaly. Larger studies of longer duration evaluating the efficacy and safety of pasireotide in patients with acromegaly are ongoing."
Since finding that paper, I have found several clinical trials of it and some other info about it as well.  It has been shown to reduce pituitary tumor volume and give positive results for Cushings patients, but more testing still needs to be done.

I know this drug won't be for everyone, but I'm sharing this news to remind people that research is always going on for new treatments, so if you are like me and your levels are still not controlled, there is always still hope!

Has anyone here participated in a clinical trial of it?  I'd love to hear about your experience with it! 

3 comments:

ledgy said...

Yes, i am in a clinical trial and i am pretty certain i am getting pasireotide. Also, i have corresponded with a woman in england who is reveiving it as a hardship exemption because no other drug will work for her....

I believe i am having a good result so far, hgh controlled well. igf-1 down almost to upper end of normal for my age group and i am feeling much better....

I would like to hear about other experiences and also like to know whether anyone has experienced higher blood glucose levels as a result of being on the drug...

polarchip said...

Hi Ledgy,

Glad to hear that things are working out well for you! I don't know much about the blood glucose levels being affected by different drugs, but you might want to ask around on the message boards over at http://www.acromegalycommunity.com

Anonymous said...

My husband was on a SOM 230 trial but had to go off of it after 6 months due to consistantly high blood glucose levels and the development of excess gallbladder sludge and stones. Very disappointing as otherwise he was feeling much better on this drug and it is the only one to date that got his IGF-1 levels even close to normal. He will soon have a second surgery to see if they can remove any more of the tumor which is unfortunately invasive into the cavernous sinus.