STUDY QUESTION: Does addition of choriogonadotropin beta (recombinant CG beta) to follitropin delta increase the number of good-quality blastocysts following ovarian stimulation in a long GnRH agonist protocol? SUMMARY ANSWER: At the doses investigated, the addition of CG beta reduced the number of intermediate follicles and related down-stream parameters including the number of oocytes and blastocysts. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: CG beta is a novel recombinant hCG (rhCG) molecule expressed by a human cell line (PER.C6®) and has a different glycosylation profile compared to urinary hCG or rhCG derived from a Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cell line. In the first-in-human trial, the CG beta pharmacokinetics were similar between men and women. In women, the AUC and the peak serum concentration (Cmax) increased approximately dose proportionally following single and multiple daily doses. In men, a single dose of CG beta provided higher exposure with a longer half-life and proportionately higher testosterone production than CHO cell-derived rhCG. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: This placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized trial (RAINBOW) was conducted in five European countries to explore the efficacy and safety of CG beta as add-on treatment to follitropin delta in women undergoing ovarian stimulation in a long GnRH agonist protocol. Randomization was stratified by centre and age (30-37 and 38-42 years). The primary endpoint was the number of good-quality blastocysts (Grade 3 BB or higher). Subjects were randomized to receive either placebo or 1, 2, 4, 8 or 12 μg CG beta added to the daily individualized follitropin delta dose during ovarian stimulation. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: In total, 620 women (30-42 years) with anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels between 5 and 35 pmol/l were randomized in equal proportions to the six treatment groups and 619 subjects started treatment. All 619 subjects were treated with an individualized dose of follitropin delta determined based on AMH (Elecsys AMH Plus Immunoassay) and body weight. Triggering with rhCG was performed when 3 follicles were ≥17 mm but no more than 25 follicles ≥12 mm were reached. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: The demographic characteristics were comparable between the six treatment groups and the overall mean age, body weight and AMH were 35.6 ± 3.3 years, 65.3 ± 10.7 kg and 15.3 ± 7.0 pmol/l, respectively. The incidence of cycle cancellation (range 0-2.9%), total follitropin delta dose (mean 112 μg) and duration of stimulation (mean 10 days) were similar across the groups. At stimulation Day 6, the number and size of follicles was similar between the treatment groups, whereas at the end-of-stimulation dose-related decrease of the intermediate follicles between 12 and 17 mm was observed in comparison to the placebo group. In contrast, the number of follicles ≥17 mm was similar between the CG beta dose groups and the placebo group. A reduced number of intermediate follicles (12 to 17 mm) and fewer oocytes (mean range 9.7 to 11.2) were observed for all doses of CG beta compared to the follitropin delta only group (mean 12.5). The mean number of good-quality blastocysts was 3.3 in the follitropin delta group and ranged between 2.1 and 3.0 across the CG beta groups. The incidence of transfer cancellation was higher in the 4, 8 and 12 μg group, mostly as no blastocyst was available for transfer. In the group receiving only follitropin delta, the ongoing pregnancy rate (10-11 weeks after transfer) was 43% per started cycle versus 28-39% in CG beta groups and 49% per transfer versus 38-50% in the CG beta groups. There was no apparent effect of CG beta on the incidence of adverse events, which was 48.1% in the placebo group and 39.6-52.3% in the CG beta dose groups. In line with the number of collected oocytes, the overall ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome incidence remained lower following follitropin delta with CG beta (2.0-10.3%) compared with follitropin delta only treatment (11.5%). Regardless of the dose, CG beta was safe and well-tolerated with low risk of immunogenicity. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: The effect of the unique glycosylation of CG beta and its associated potency implications in women were not known prior to this trial. Further studies will be needed to evaluate optimal doses of CG beta for this and/or different indications. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: The high ongoing pregnancy rate in the follitropin delta group supports the use of individualized follitropin delta dosing in a long GnRH agonist protocol. The addition of CG beta reduced the presence of intermediate follicles with the investigated doses and negatively affected all down-stream parameters. Further clinical research will be needed to assess the optimal dose of CG beta in the optimal ratio to follitropin delta to develop this novel combination product containing both FSH and LH activity for ovarian stimulation. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): The study was funded by Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Copenhagen, Denmark. B.M. and P.L. are employees of Ferring Pharmaceuticals. M.F.S., H.V., C.Y.A., M.F., C.B., A.P. and Y.K. have received institutional clinical trial fees from Ferring Pharmaceuticals. C.B. has received payments for lectures from Organon, Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Merck A/S and Abbott. M.F.S. has received payment for lectures from Ferring Pharmaceuticals. Y.K. has received payment for lectures from Merck and travel support from Gedeon Richter. H.V. has received consulting fees from Oxo and Obseva and travel support from Gedeon Richter, Ferring Pharmaceuticals and Merck. C.Y.A. has received payment for lectures from IBSA, Switzerland. M.F and C.Y.A. were reimbursed as members of the Data Monitoring Board in this trial. M.F. has an issued patent about unitary combination of FSH and hCG (EP1633389). TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: 2017-003810-13 (EudraCT Number). TRIAL REGISTRATION DATE: 21 May 2018. DATE OF FIRST PATIENT’S ENROLMENT: 13 June 2018.

• MeSH
• antimülleriánský hormon MeSH
• CHO buňky MeSH
• choriogonadotropin MeSH
• Cricetulus MeSH
• fertilizace in vitro metody   MeSH
• folikuly stimulující hormon lidský * MeSH
• hormon uvolňující gonadotropiny MeSH
• indukce ovulace * metody   MeSH
• křečci praví MeSH
• léčivé přípravky MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• lidský choriogonadotropin, beta podjednotka MeSH
• randomizované kontrolované studie jako téma MeSH
• rekombinantní proteiny MeSH
• těhotenství MeSH
• tělesná hmotnost MeSH
• úhrn těhotenství na počet žen v reprodukčním věku MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• křečci praví MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• těhotenství MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• protokol klinické studie MeSH

OBJECTIVE: To study the association between serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels and follicular development and endocrine responses induced by increasing doses (5·2-12·1 μg/day) of a novel recombinant human FSH (rhFSH, FE 999049) in patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF)/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in a GnRH antagonist protocol. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial with stratified randomization according to AMH (lower stratum: 5·0-14·9 pmol/l; higher stratum: 15·0-44·9 pmol/l). PATIENTS: Infertile women of good prognosis (n = 265). MEASUREMENTS: Follicular development and endocrine parameters during controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) with rhFSH. RESULTS: Serum FSH levels increased with increasing rhFSH doses and steady-state levels for each dose were similar in both AMH strata. In the whole study population, significant (P < 0·001) positive dose responses were observed for the number of follicles ≥ 12 mm, and serum levels of oestradiol, inhibin B, inhibin A and progesterone at end of stimulation. In comparison with the higher AMH stratum, patients in the lower AMH stratum had significantly different slopes of the dose-response curves for these hormones, and no clear dose-related increase was observed for the number of follicles in these patients. CONCLUSIONS: Dose-response relationships between rhFSH and follicular development and endocrine parameters are significantly different for IVF/ICSI patients with lower and higher serum AMH levels at start of COS.

• MeSH
• antimülleriánský hormon krev   MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• fertilizace in vitro MeSH
• folikuly stimulující hormon krev   terapeutické užití   MeSH
• indukce ovulace metody   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mladiství MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• těhotenství MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mladiství MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• těhotenství MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• randomizované kontrolované studie MeSH

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the dose-response relationship of a novel recombinant human FSH (rhFSH; FE 999049) with respect to ovarian response in patients undergoing IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection treatment; and prospectively study the influence of initial antimüllerian hormone (AMH) concentrations. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled, assessor-blinded, AMH-stratified (low: 5.0-14.9 pmol/L [0.7-<2.1 ng/mL]; high: 15.0-44.9 pmol/L [2.1-6.3 ng/mL]) trial. SETTING: Seven infertility centers in four countries. PATIENT(S): Two hundred sixty-five women aged ≤37 years. INTERVENTION(S): Controlled ovarian stimulation with either 5.2, 6.9, 8.6, 10.3, or 12.1 μg of rhFSH, or 11 μg (150 IU) of follitropin alfa in a GnRH antagonist cycle. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Number of oocytes retrieved. RESULT(S): The number of oocytes retrieved increased in an rhFSH dose-dependent manner, from 5.2 ± 3.3 oocytes with 5.2 μg/d to 12.2 ± 5.9 with 12.1 μg/d. The slopes of the rhFSH dose-response curves differed significantly between the two AMH strata, demonstrating that a 10% increase in dose resulted in 0.5 (95% confidence interval 0.2-0.7) and 1.0 (95% confidence interval 0.7-1.3) more oocytes in the low and high AMH stratum, respectively. Fertilization rate and blastocyst/oocyte ratio decreased significantly with increasing rhFSH doses in both AMH strata. No linear relationship was observed between rhFSH dose and number of blastocysts overall or by AMH strata. Five cases of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome were reported for the three highest rhFSH doses and in the high AMH stratum. CONCLUSION(S): Increasing rhFSH doses results in a linear increase in number of oocytes retrieved in an AMH-dependent manner. The availability of blastocysts is less influenced by the rhFSH dose and AMH level. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01426386.

• MeSH
• antimülleriánský hormon aplikace a dávkování   MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• fertilizace in vitro metody   MeSH
• folikuly stimulující hormon lidský aplikace a dávkování   MeSH
• indukce ovulace metody   MeSH
• intracytoplazmatické injekce spermie metody   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• odběr oocytu * MeSH
• rekombinantní proteiny aplikace a dávkování   MeSH
• výsledek terapie MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• klinické zkoušky, fáze II MeSH
• multicentrická studie MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• randomizované kontrolované studie MeSH