ENDO: Teprotumumab Proves Long-Term Efficacy for Thyroid Eye Disease

A recent study has revealed that most patients with thyroid eye disease who received treatment with teprotumumab do not need additional treatments nearly two years later. This finding was presented at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, which took place from June 1 to 4 in Boston, and was simultaneously published online on June 2 in Thyroid.

Dr. George J. Kahaly from the Johannes Gutenberg University Medical Center in Mainz, Germany, along with his colleagues, conducted an analysis on the long-term efficacy of teprotumumab. This analysis incorporated data from previous clinical trials, including phase 2, phase 3 (the OPTIC study), and the OPTIC Extension (OPTIC-X) studies. In total, the analysis involved 112 patients who had received seven or eight infusions of teprotumumab.

The findings indicated sustained improvement in several key areas among the patients. At week 72, 52 out of 57 patients showed significant improvement in their clinical activity score (CAS), with a reduction of at least 2 points. Additionally, 51 of 57 patients showed positive outcomes based on the European Group of Graves' Orbitopathy ophthalmic composite outcome. Improvement in diplopia, characterized by at least one Gorman grade improvement, was observed in 35 out of 48 patients. Proptosis, or bulging of the eyes, improved by at least 2 mm in 38 out of 56 patients, and 37 out of 56 patients showed an overall response when considering both proptosis and CAS improvements. The average reduction in proptosis among the participants was 2.68 mm. Furthermore, disease inactivation, defined as a CAS of 1 or lower, was achieved in 40 out of 57 participants. The study also reported an average improvement of 15.22 points in the Graves' Ophthalmopathy quality-of-life score.

At the 99-week mark, only 17.9 percent of patients reported the need for additional thyroid eye disease therapy during both formal and extended follow-up periods. This low percentage underscores the long-term effectiveness of teprotumumab in treating thyroid eye disease.

Dr. Kahaly highlighted the importance of these findings for physicians making treatment decisions for thyroid eye disease patients. The data supports the long-term use of teprotumumab in suitable patients, providing a reliable option for sustained disease management.

The study was sponsored by Amgen, the pharmaceutical company that manufactures teprotumumab.