Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Clinical Trial
. 2014 Nov;21(11):1341-51.
doi: 10.1177/1933719114549848. Epub 2014 Sep 23.

Elagolix, an oral GnRH antagonist, versus subcutaneous depot medroxyprogesterone acetate for the treatment of endometriosis: effects on bone mineral density

Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Elagolix, an oral GnRH antagonist, versus subcutaneous depot medroxyprogesterone acetate for the treatment of endometriosis: effects on bone mineral density

Bruce Carr et al. Reprod Sci. 2014 Nov.

Abstract

This randomized double-blind study, with 24-week treatment and 24-week posttreatment periods, evaluated the effects of elagolix (150 mg every day, 75 mg twice a day) versus subcutaneous depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA-SC) on bone mineral density (BMD), in women with endometriosis-associated pain (n = 252). All treatments induced minimal mean changes from baseline in BMD at week 24 (elagolix 150 mg: -0.11%/-0.47%, elagolix 75 mg: -1.29%/-1.2%, and DMPA-SC: 0.99%/-1.29% in the spine and total hip, respectively), with similar or less changes at week 48 (posttreatment). Elagolix was associated with improvements in endometriosis-associated pain, assessed with composite pelvic signs and symptoms score (CPSSS) and visual analogue scale, including statistical noninferiority to DMPA-SC in dysmenorrhea and nonmenstrual pelvic pain components of the CPSSS. The most common adverse events (AEs) in elagolix groups were headache, nausea, and nasopharyngitis, whereas the most common AEs in the DMPA-SC group were headache, nausea, upper respiratory tract infection, and mood swings. This study showed that similar to DMPA-SC, elagolix treatment had minimal impact on BMD over a 24-week period and demonstrated similar efficacy on endometriosis-associated pain.

Keywords: GnRH antagonists; elagolix; endometriosis; pelvic pain.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: BC has been a consultant for AbbVie Inc. WPD has been a consultant for Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc and AbbVie Inc. JB, RJ, and CO are Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc employees and own Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc stock. KC and PJ are AbbVie Inc employees and own AbbVie Inc stock; EG is a former AbbVie Inc employee.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Bone mineral density least square (LS) mean change from baseline ± 95% confidence interval at weeks 24 and 48.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Median estradiol concentrations through week 48.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Composite pelvic signs and symptoms score (CPSSS) mean ± standard error of the mean (SEM) component scores for (A) dysmenorrhea, (B) nonmenstrual pelvic pain, and (C) dyspareunia.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Composite pelvic signs and symptoms score (CPSSS) mean ± standard error of the mean (SEM) component scores for (A) dysmenorrhea, (B) nonmenstrual pelvic pain, and (C) dyspareunia.

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Carr BR. Endometriosis. In: Schorge JO, Schaffer JI, Halvorson LM, Hoffman B, Bradshaw KD, Cunningham FG, eds. Williams Gynecology. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2008:chapter 10
    1. Crosignani PG, Luciano A, Ray A, Bergqvist A. Subcutaneous depot medroxyprogesterone acetate versus leuprolide acetate in the treatment of endometriosis-associated pain. Hum Reprod (Oxford, England). 2006;21 (1):248–256 - PubMed
    1. Schlaff WD, Carson SA, Luciano A, Ross D, Bergqvist A. Subcutaneous injection of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate compared with leuprolide acetate in the treatment of endometriosis-associated pain. Fertil Steril. 2006;85 (2):314–325 - PubMed
    1. Vercellini P, Fedele L, Pietropaolo G, Frontino G, Somigliana E, Crosignani PG. Progestogens for endometriosis: forward to the past. Hum Reprod Update. 2003;9 (4):387–396 - PubMed
    1. Batzer FR. GnRH analogs: options for endometriosis-associated pain treatment. J Minim Invasive Gynecol. 2006;13 (6):539–545 - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms