Efficacy and adverse events of octreotide long-acting release in acromegaly: a real-world retrospective study

Octreotide long-acting release (LAR) is a common drug used for acromegaly that aims to normalize serum growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). However, only a few studies have evaluated its efficacy and safety in Chinese patients. This retrospective study aimed to assess its efficacy and safety in a cohort of Chinese patients with acromegaly.

A total of 163 patients with acromegaly, who received continuous and regular octreotide LAR treatment at least three times at Peking Union Medical College Hospital between 2010 and 2020, were enrolled. Clinical characteristics, acromegaly activity, and other laboratory tests before and after treatment were collected for analysis.

The study enrolled 163 patients, including 71 men (43.6%) with a mean age of 40.94±13.00 years. After octreotide LAR treatment, 34.4% of the patients achieved GH control (<2.5 ng/mL), while IGF-1 levels were normalized in 23.3% of the patients. Also, fasting GH levels were downregulated from 4.95 ng/mL [interquartile range (IQR) 2.225, 10.325 ng/mL] at baseline to 3.2 ng/mL (IQR 1.5, 6.6 ng/mL) (P<0.001), and IGF-1/upper limit of the normal (ULN) declined from 1.89 (IQR 1.22, 2.40) to 1.41 (IQR 0.97, 1.89) (P<0.001). In addition, 65 patients experienced moderate adverse events. During the follow-up, none of the patients discontinued octreotide LAR. Further logistic regression showed that comorbidity [odds ratio (OR), 3.19; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.20-9.27; P=0.025] and previous surgery only (OR, 0.21; 95% CI: 0.08-0.58; P=0.003) were two risk factors for the development of adverse events.

Our findings revealed that octreotide LAR treatment is effective in normalizing GH and IGF-1 levels in Chinese patients with acromegaly. In addition, adverse events related to octreotide LAR use were moderate and well tolerated by the patients.