Are Oral Somatostatin Receptor Ligands Moving Closer to Becoming a Reality?

With the current therapeutic modalities available to endocrinologists, control of GH and IGF-I is now possible in almost all patients with acromegaly with multi-modality therapy. Despite biochemical control of GH and IGF-I, patients with acromegaly continue to experience impaired quality of life. Although there are likely multiple factors contributing to this dissatisfaction with current medical therapies, in particular the widely utilised injectable long-acting somatostatin receptor ligands (iSRL), is a contributor. The iSRLs require intramuscular or deep subcutaneous injection with a wide bore needle that can be complicated by injection site pain, erythema, subcutaneous nodule formation, and for most individuals require attendance with a healthcare professional every 28 days to safely administered the medication. Two oral SRL (oSRL) formulations, Oral Octreotide Capsules and Paltusotine have been developed with clinical studies showing them to have promise as a therapeutic alternative to iSRL.