Denosumab in Primary Hyperparathyroidism

Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT), a disease characterized by excess parathyroid hormone (PTH) and high blood calcium, is one of the most common endocrine disorders. PHPT is seen most often in postmenopausal women. Many patients with PHPT have low bone mineral density (BMD) when bone mass is measured by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), primarily at the forearm. There is currently no effective medical therapy which increases bone density at the forearm in patients with PHPT.

PTH both builds and breaks down bone, and the pathways by which PTH mediates these actions are beginning to be identified. Prior research suggests that RANKL, a molecule important in bone metabolism, responds to PTH, and that if the RANKL is inactivated, PTH is shifted towards building bone. The investigators will study the effect of Denosumab, a therapeutic agent that binds to and inactivates RANKL, in 28 postmenopausal women with PHPT. Our hypothesis is that Denosumab will increase bone mineral density in primary hyperparathyroidism.

The study will last two years, and subjects will be randomly assigned to receive either placebo or Denosumab for the first year of the study. In the second year, all subjects will receive Denosumab. Denosumab (60 mg) or placebo will be given every 6 months by an injection just under the skin. Study procedures performed will include bone mineral density tests by DXA, high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) scans, and assessments of biochemical markers of calcium metabolism and bone turnover using both blood and urine samples of subjects with PHPT.

Study Overview

• Status: Terminated
• Conditions: Primary Hyperparathyroidism
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Denosumab; Other: Placebo

Detailed Description

PTH has both catabolic and anabolic properties, and under normal circumstances, PTH in PHPT is catabolic for bone at the cortical skeleton. Recently, evidence for a direct role of PTH on RANKL expression and osteoclastogenesis in vivo was obtained using mice lacking a distant transcriptional enhancer of the RANKL gene that confers responsiveness to PTH. These observations, supported by additional cross-sectional studies in human subjects make a compelling argument that the catabolic actions of PTH are mediated by RANKL-mediated bone resorption.

The investigators now propose a proof of concept study to test the hypothesis that in PHPT, inhibition of the RANK-L pathway will unmask the anabolic potential of PTH. A therapeutic agent that redirects the actions of PTH in PHPT from one that is primarily catabolic to an anabolic one would fulfill this proof of concept. The investigators hypothesize that Denosumab, a human Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody that binds to and inactivates RANKL, will convert skeletal actions of PTH from catabolic to anabolic in primary hyperparathyroidism.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 8
• Phase: Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • New York
    • New York, New York, United States, 10032
      • Columbia University Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 40 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Confirmed hypercalcemic PHPT in postmenopausal women with serum calcium >10.2 mg/dL and < 12.0 mg/dL (nl: 8.6-10.2)
• T-score between -1.5 and -2.5 at any site. If the T-score is <-2.5, patients become candidates for parathyroid surgery. They will be enrolled only if they refuse the parathyroid surgery

Exclusion Criteria:

• 25-hydroxyvitamin D level < 20 ng/ml
• Previous use of the bisphosphonate zoledronic acid (ever), alendronate or risedronate (within 12 months) or ibandronate (within 6 months)
• Current use of PTH, glucocorticoids, SERMS, estrogen (other than vaginal), calcitonin or pharmacological amounts of calcitriol Current or previous use of cinacalcet (within 6 months)
• Hyperthyroidism
• Rheumatoid arthritis or any other inflammatory joint disease
• Paget's disease of bone
• Malabsorption
• T-score <-3.5 at any site
• Signs of symptomatic PHPT (e.g, kidney stones within the past 5 years; fragility fracture within the past 2 years)
• Physical or mental handicapping condition that precludes ability to complete the protocol and/or provide informed consent.
• Subjects on Antiviral HIV therapy or subjects with compromised immune systems
• Premenopausal women or men
• Stage 5 Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) or anyone on dialysis
• Creatinine clearance < 30 cc/min unless the patient is not a candidate for surgery or if the patient refuses surgery

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Denosumab - Group #1; Receive active drug for year 1 and year 2 of the study	Drug: Denosumab; The dose of denosumab is 60 mg every 6 months by subcutaneous injection. The 52 subjects will be randomly allocated (2:1) into treatment and placebo arms with the placebo group receiving a subcutaneous injection of vehicle in year 1. In year 2, those who were allocated to the study drug in year 1 will continue in year 2. Those who were allocated to placebo in year 1 will be crossed over to study drug in year 2. Group # 1: Receive active drug for year 1 and year 2 of the study Group #2: Receive placebo for year 1 and active drug for year 2 of the study; Other Names: Prolia; Xgeva
Placebo Comparator: Placebo - Group #2; Receive placebo for year 1 and active drug for year 2 of the study	Drug: Denosumab; The dose of denosumab is 60 mg every 6 months by subcutaneous injection. The 52 subjects will be randomly allocated (2:1) into treatment and placebo arms with the placebo group receiving a subcutaneous injection of vehicle in year 1. In year 2, those who were allocated to the study drug in year 1 will continue in year 2. Those who were allocated to placebo in year 1 will be crossed over to study drug in year 2. Group # 1: Receive active drug for year 1 and year 2 of the study Group #2: Receive placebo for year 1 and active drug for year 2 of the study; Other Names: Prolia; Xgeva; Other: Placebo; The dose of denosumab is 60 mg every 6 months by subcutaneous injection. The placebo group will receive vehicle injections at the same time interval. The 52 subjects will be randomly allocated (2:1) into treatment and placebo arms with the placebo group receiving a subcutaneous injection of vehicle in year 1. In year 2, those who were allocated to the study drug in year 1 will continue in year 2. Those who were allocated to placebo in year 1 will be crossed over to study drug in year 2. Group # 1: Receive active drug for year 1 and year 2 of the study Group #2: Receive placebo for year 1 and active drug for year 2 of the study

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Bone Mineral Density (BMD) at the Lumbar Spine	Percent change from baseline in BMD at the lumbar spine, as measured by Dual-emission X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan at 12 months	Baseline and 12 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Bone Mineral Density (BMD) at the Distal 1/3 Radius	Percent change from baseline in BMD at the distal 1/3 radius, as measured by Dual-emission X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan at 12 months	12 months
Change in Bone Mineral Density (BMD) at the Hip	Percent change from baseline in BMD at the hip, as measured by Dual-emission X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan at 12 months	12 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Columbia University
• Collaborators: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK); National Institutes of Health (NIH); Amgen
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: John P Bilezikian, MD, Columbia University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 1, 2012
• Primary Completion (Actual): October 1, 2014
• Study Completion (Actual): October 1, 2014

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 16, 2012
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 19, 2012
• First Posted (Estimate): March 20, 2012

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): November 2, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 6, 2022
• Last Verified: October 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Denosumab; Primary hyperparathyroidism; Columbia University; Low bone density; Prolia
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Endocrine System Diseases; Parathyroid Diseases; Hyperparathyroidism; Hyperparathyroidism, Primary; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Bone Density Conservation Agents; Denosumab
• Other Study ID Numbers: AAAF2568; R01DK032333 (NIH); 20090741 (Other Identifier: Amgen)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: Yes
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No