Clinical trial NCT01558115: Denosumab in Primary Hyperparathyroidism
Official title: Denosumab in Primary Hyperparathyroidism
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: TERMINATED
Phase: PHASE4
Conditions: Primary Hyperparathyroidism
Keywords: Columbia University
Primary hyperparathyroidism
Low bone density
Denosumab
Prolia
Lead sponsor: Columbia University
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: National Institutes of Health (NIH)
name: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
name: Amgen
First posted: 2012-03-20
Enrollment: 8
Sex: FEMALE
Minimum age (years): 40
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT), a disease characterized by excess parathyroid hormone (PTH) and high blood calcium, is one of the most common endocrine disorders. PHPT is seen most often in postmenopausal women. Many patients with PHPT have low bone mineral density (BMD) when bone mass is measured by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), primarily at the forearm. There is currently no effective medical therapy which increases bone density at the forearm in patients with PHPT.

PTH both builds and breaks down bone, and the pathways by which PTH mediates these actions are beginning to be identified. Prior research suggests that RANKL, a molecule important in bone metabolism, responds to PTH, and that if the RANKL is inactivated, PTH is shifted towards building bone. The investigators will study the effect of Denosumab, a therapeutic agent that binds to and inactivates RANKL, in 28 postmenopausal women with PHPT. Our hypothesis is that Denosumab will increase bone mineral density in primary hyperparathyroidism.

The study will last two years, and subjects will be randomly assigned to receive either placebo or Denosumab for the first year of the study. In the second year, all subjects will receive Denosumab. Denosumab (60 mg) or placebo will be given every 6 months by an injection just under the skin. Study procedures performed will include bone mineral density tests by DXA, high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) scans, and assessments of biochemical markers of calcium metabolism and bone turnover using both blood and urine samples of subjects with PHPT.

Detailed description: PTH has both catabolic and anabolic properties, and under normal circumstances, PTH in PHPT is catabolic for bone at the cortical skeleton. Recently, evidence for a direct role of PTH on RANKL expression and osteoclastogenesis in vivo was obtained using mice lacking a distant transcriptional enhancer of the RANKL gene that confers responsiveness to PTH. These observations, supported by additional cross-sectional studies in human subjects make a compelling argument that the catabolic actions of PTH are mediated by RANKL-mediated bone resorption.

The investigators now propose a proof of concept study to test the hypothesis that in PHPT, inhibition of the RANK-L pathway will unmask the anabolic potential of PTH. A therapeutic agent that redirects the actions of PTH in PHPT from one that is primarily catabolic to an anabolic one would fulfill this proof of concept. The investigators hypothesize that Denosumab, a human Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody that binds to and inactivates RANKL, will convert skeletal actions of PTH from catabolic to anabolic in primary hyperparathyroidism.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Confirmed hypercalcemic PHPT in postmenopausal women with serum calcium \>10.2 mg/dL and \< 12.0 mg/dL (nl: 8.6-10.2)
* T-score between -1.5 and -2.5 at any site. If the T-score is \<-2.5, patients become candidates for parathyroid surgery. They will be enrolled only if they refuse the parathyroid surgery

Exclusion Criteria:

* 25-hydroxyvitamin D level \< 20 ng/ml
* Previous use of the bisphosphonate zoledronic acid (ever), alendronate or risedronate (within 12 months) or ibandronate (within 6 months)
* Current use of PTH, glucocorticoids, SERMS, estrogen (other than vaginal), calcitonin or pharmacological amounts of calcitriol Current or previous use of cinacalcet (within 6 months)
* Hyperthyroidism
* Rheumatoid arthritis or any other inflammatory joint disease
* Paget's disease of bone
* Malabsorption
* T-score \<-3.5 at any site
* Signs of symptomatic PHPT (e.g, kidney stones within the past 5 years; fragility fracture within the past 2 years)
* Physical or mental handicapping condition that precludes ability to complete the protocol and/or provide informed consent.
* Subjects on Antiviral HIV therapy or subjects with compromised immune systems
* Premenopausal women or men
* Stage 5 Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) or anyone on dialysis
* Creatinine clearance \< 30 cc/min unless the patient is not a candidate for surgery or if the patient refuses surgery

Primary outcomes:
measure: Change in Bone Mineral Density (BMD) at the Lumbar Spine
timeFrame: Baseline and 12 months
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Change in Bone Mineral Density (BMD) at the Distal 1/3 Radius
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Change in Bone Mineral Density (BMD) at the Hip
timeFrame: 12 months
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: New York
country: United States
facility: Columbia University Medical Center
state: New York
Study officials:
affiliation: Columbia University
name: John P Bilezikian, MD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: