Jazz Pharmaceuticals and UCB announce Phase III study of sodium oxybate in patients with fibromyalgia meets primary endpoints

25-Jun-2009 - Belgium

Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and UCB announced positive preliminary top-line results from the second of two Phase III clinical trials of sodium oxybate (JZP-6) for the treatment of fibromyalgia. Confirming the positive results from the first Phase III study, this international, placebo-controlled trial of sodium oxybate to treat fibromyalgia achieved its key endpoints. As in the first randomized, double-blind fibromyalgia study, sodium oxybate significantly decreased pain and fatigue and improved daily function and patient global impression of change. Sodium oxybate has not been evaluated by regulators for the treatment of fibromyalgia and is not approved for this use.

The second 14-week Phase III trial, conducted in the United States and seven European countries, included 573 adult patients with fibromyalgia randomized to one of three treatment arms: sodium oxybate 4.5 g/night, sodium oxybate 6 g/night, or placebo. The primary outcome measure, viewed by both U.S. and E.U. regulatory authorities as a clinically meaningful endpoint, was the proportion of patients who achieved at least 30 percent reduction in pain from baseline to endpoint based on the Pain Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Data from the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) are considered equally relevant as Pain VAS data in the E.U. FIQ data are considered supportive data by U.S. regulators.

In the top-line results, significantly more patients treated with sodium oxybate achieved 30 percent or greater improvement in their pain compared to patients treated with placebo. Of those patients receiving sodium oxybate treatment, 35% of patients on 4.5 g/night and 35% of patients on 6 g/night reported this level of pain relief on the pain VAS, compared with 20% of patients on placebo. These results were highly statistically significant.

Patients' physical functioning and ability to perform daily tasks, as measured by the FIQ, were highly statistically significantly different from placebo for the 4.5 g/night dose and for the 6 g/night dose. Sodium oxybate-treated patients also reported highly statistically significant improvement in fatigue, another common symptom of fibromyalgia.

The most common adverse events (greater than or equal to five percent and at least twice the rate of placebo) were nausea, dizziness, vomiting, insomnia, anxiety, somnolence, fatigue, muscle spasms, and peripheral oedema. Sodium oxybate was generally well tolerated, with the majority of adverse events reported being mild to moderate in nature.

https://www.bionity.com/en/news/102531/jazz-pharmaceuticals-and-ucb-announce-phase-iii-study-of-sodium-oxybate-in-patients-with-fibromyalgia-meets-primary-endpoints.html