Safety and Efficacy of Pasireotide Long Acting Release (LAR) vs. Octreotide LAR in Patients With Active Acromegaly
Safety and Efficacy of Pasireotide Long Acting Release (LAR) vs. Octreotide LAR in Patients With Active Acromegaly
The patients received either Pasireotide LAR or Octreotide LAR for one year of treatment.

 The objective of this study was to compare the proportion of patients with a reduction of
 mean GH level to <2.5 µg/L and the normalization of IGF-1 to within normal limits (age and
 sex related) between the two treatment groups (pasireotide LAR and octreotide LAR) at 12
 months.

 Following one year of treatment patients could proceed into the study extension.

 Patients who did not respond to the treatment they were randomized to (based on month 12
 assessment results) were switched to the other treatment arm at month 13.
Inclusion criteria:

 -  Patients with active acromegaly (based on elevated GH and IGF-1 levels)

 -  Patients who have undergone one or more pituitary surgeries, but have not been treated
 medically, or de-novo patients presenting a visible pituitary adenoma on MRI and who
 refuse pituitary surgery or for whom pituitary surgery is contraindicated

 -  Patients for whom written informed consent to participate in the study has been
 obtained prior to any study related activity

 Exclusion criteria:

 -  Patients who are being or were treated with octreotide, lanreotide, dopamine agonists
 or GH antagonists with the exception of a single dose of short-acting octrotide or
 short-acting dopamine agonists. In case of a single dose of short-acting octrotide,
 the dose should not be used to predict the response to the octretide treatment. The
 single dose of short-acting octreotide or short-acting dopamine agonists should not be
 administered in the 3 days prior to randomization

 -  Patients with compression of the optic chiasm causing any visual field defect

 -  Patients who have received pituitary irradiation within the last ten years prior to
 visit 1

 -  Poorly controlled diabetic patients

 Other protocol-defined inclusion/exclusion criteria may apply