E4 FREEDOM (Female Response Concerning Efficacy and Safety of Estetrol/Drospirenone as Oral Contraceptive in a Multicentric Study) - United States/Canada Study

A Multicenter, Open-label, Single-Arm Study to Evaluate the Contraceptive Efficacy and Safety of a Combined Oral Contraceptive Containing 15 mg Estetrol and 3 mg Drospirenone

The objectives of this study are to evaluate the contraceptive efficacy, vaginal bleeding pattern (cycle control), and the general safety and acceptability of the 15 mg estetrol (E4)/3 mg drospirenone (DRSP) combination in healthy women aged 16 to 50 years.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Contraception
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: 15 mg E4/3 mg DRSP

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 2148
• Phase: Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • Quebec, Canada, G1S 2L6
    • Clinique de Santé des Femmes
• United States
  • Pennsylvania
    • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19107
      • Thomas Jefferson University Obstetrics and Gynecology

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 16 years to 50 years (Child, Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Heterosexually active female at risk for pregnancy and requesting contraception.
• Negative serum pregnancy test at subject screening.
• Willing to use the investigational product as the primary method of contraception for 13 consecutive cycles.
• Good physical and mental health on the basis of medical, surgical and gynecological history, physical examination, gynecological examination, clinical laboratory, and vital signs.
• Body mass index (BMI) below or equal to (≤) 35.0 kg/m2.
• Able to fulfill the requirements of the protocol and have indicated a willingness to participate in the study by providing written informed consent.
• Willing and able to complete the diaries and questionnaires.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Known hypersensitivity to any of the investigational product ingredients.
• Smoking if ≥ 35 years old, at screening.
• Any condition associated with decrease fertility.
• Dyslipoproteinemia requiring active treatment with antilipidemic agent.
• Diabetes mellitus with vascular involvement (nephropathy, retinopathy, neuropathy, other) or diabetes mellitus of more than 20-year duration.
• Arterial hypertension.
• Any condition associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolism and/or arterial thromboembolism.
• Any condition associated with abnormal uterine/vaginal bleeding.
• Abnormal Pap test based on current international recommendations.
• Presence of an undiagnosed breast mass.
• Current symptomatic gallbladder disease.
• History of combined oral contraceptive (COC) related cholestasis.
• Presence or history of severe hepatic disease.
• Presence or history of pancreatitis if associated with hypertriglyceridemia.
• Porphyria.
• Presence or history of hepatocellular adenoma or malignant liver tumors.
• Renal impairment.
• Hyperkaliemia or presence of conditions that predispose to hyperkaliemia.
• Presence or history of hormone-related malignancy.
• History of non-hormone-related malignancy within 5 years before screening. Subjects with a non-melanoma skin cancer are allowed in the study.
• History of alcohol or drug abuse (including laxatives) within 12 months prior to screening.
• Use of drugs potentially triggering interactions with COCs.
• Any condition that could result in altered absorption, excessive accumulation, impaired metabolism, or altered excretion of the investigational product.
• Uncontrolled thyroid disorders.
• Participation in another investigational drug clinical study within 1 month (30 days) or have received an investigational drug within the last 3 months (90 days) prior to study entry. Subjects who participated in an oral contraceptive clinical study, using FDA/European (EU) approved active ingredients, may be enrolled 2 months (60 days) after completing the preceding study.
• Sponsor, Contract Research Organization (CRO) or Investigator's site personnel directly affiliated with this study.
• Is judged by the Investigator to be unsuitable for any reason.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: 15 mg E4/3 mg DRSP; 15 mg estetrol (E4)/3 mg drospirenone (DRSP) combined oral contraceptive	Drug: 15 mg E4/3 mg DRSP; 15 mg estetrol and 3 mg drospirenone tablets administered once daily for 13 consecutive cycles following a 24/4-day regimen, i.e. one 15 mg E4/3 mg DRSP active tablet per day for 24 consecutive days followed by one placebo tablet per day for 4 consecutive days.; Other Names: 15 mg estetrol and 3 mg drospirenone

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
The Number of On-treatment Pregnancies (With + 7-day Window) Per 100 Woman-years of Exposure (Pearl Index) in Subjects Aged 16 to 35 Years, Inclusive, at the Time of Screening	On-treatment pregnancies are pregnancies with an estimated date of conception within the in-treatment period i.e. Day 1 to 7 days after the last intake of investigational product (whether active or inactive tablet). The Pearl Index, defined as the number of pregnancies per 100 women-years of treatment was calculated as: Pearl Index = (1300*number of on-treatment pregnancies)/number of women 28-day equivalent cycles of treatment. Only at-risk cycles were included in the denominator of the Pearl Index calculation, unless a conception occurred during a cycle. At-risk-cycle was defined as cycle in which no other methods of birth control (including condoms and emergency contraception) were used by the subject as confirmed in the subject diary and during which the subject confirmed that sexual intercourse had occurred.	Up to 12 months (13 cycles with 1 cycle = 28 days)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
The Number of On-treatment Pregnancies (With +7-day Window) as Assessed by the Method Failure Pearl Index in Subjects Aged 16 to 35 Years, Inclusive, at the Time of Screening	On-treatment pregnancies are pregnancies with an estimated date of conception within the in-treatment period i.e. Day 1 to 7 days after the last intake of investigational product (whether active or inactive tablet). The method failure Pearl Index, defined as the number of pregnancies as a result of method failure per 100 women-years of treatment, was calculated as follow: (1300*number of on-treatment pregnancies as a result of method failure)/number of women 28-day equivalent cycles of treatment. Pregnancies due to user failure were excluded from the numerator. User failure pregnancies were pregnancies that occurred when the subject did not take the investigational product correctly. At-risk-cycle was defined as cycle in which no other methods of birth control (including condoms and emergency contraception) were used by the subject and during which the subject confirmed that sexual intercourse had occurred.	Up to 12 months (13 cycles with 1 cycle = 28 days)
The Number of On-treatment Pregnancies (With + 7-day Window) Per 100 Woman-years of Exposure (Pearl Index) in the Overall Study Population (16-50 Years)	On-treatment pregnancies are pregnancies with an estimated date of conception within the in-treatment period i.e. Day 1 to 7 days after the last intake of investigational product (whether active or inactive tablet). The Pearl Index, defined as the number of pregnancies per 100 women-years of treatment was calculated as: Pearl Index = (1300*number of on-treatment pregnancies)/number of women 28-day equivalent cycles of treatment. Only at-risk cycles were included in the denominator of the Pearl Index calculation, unless a conception occurred during a cycle. At-risk-cycle was defined as cycle in which no other methods of birth control (including condoms and emergency contraception) were used by the subject as confirmed in the subject diary and during which the subject confirmed that sexual intercourse had occurred.	Up to 12 months (13 cycles with 1 cycle = 28 days)
The Number of On-treatment Pregnancies as Assessed by the Method Failure Pearl Index in the Overall Study Population (16-50 Years)	On-treatment pregnancies are pregnancies with an estimated date of conception within the in-treatment period i.e. Day 1 to 7 days after the last intake of investigational product (whether active or inactive tablet). The method failure Pearl Index, defined as the number of pregnancies as a result of method failure per 100 women-years of treatment, was calculated as follow: (1300*number of on-treatment pregnancies as a result of method failure)/number of women 28-day equivalent cycles of treatment. Pregnancies due to user failure were excluded from the numerator. User failure pregnancies were pregnancies that occurred when the subject did not take the investigational product correctly. At-risk-cycle was defined as cycle in which no other methods of birth control (including condoms and emergency contraception) were used by the subject and during which the subject confirmed that sexual intercourse had occurred.	Up to 12 months (13 cycles with 1 cycle = 28 days)
Rate of Pregnancy (Life-table Analysis) in Participants Aged 16 to 35 Years	The life-table analysis evaluates the cumulative probability of pregnancy over 13 cycles. Cumulative Rate and 95% CI are from Kaplan-Meier estimation. Only on-treatment pregnancies are included. On-treatment pregnancy is a pregnancy with an estimated date of conception after the date of the first dose of study medication to 7 days after the last dose of study medication (regardless of whether the last dose is an active or inactive tablet) inclusive.	Up to 12 months (13 cycles with 1 cycle = 28 days)
Rate of Pregnancy (Life-table Analysis) in Participants Aged 16 to 50 Years	The life-table analysis evaluates the cumulative probability of pregnancy over 13 cycles. Cumulative Rate and 95% confidence interval (CI) are from Kaplan-Meier estimation. Only on-treatment pregnancies are included. On-treatment pregnancy is a pregnancy with an estimated date of conception after the date of the first dose of study medication to 7 days after the last dose of study medication (regardless of whether the last dose is an active or inactive tablet) inclusive.	Up to 12 months (13 cycles with 1 cycle = 28 days)
Number of Subjects With Unscheduled Bleeding/Spotting Episodes	Unscheduled bleeding/spotting is defined as any bleeding/spotting that occurs while taking active hormones that does not meet the criteria for scheduled bleeding.	Up to 11 months (12 cycles with 1 cycle = 28 days)
Number of Unscheduled Bleeding Days Per Cycle	Unscheduled bleeding is defined as any bleeding that occurs while taking active hormones that does not meet the criteria for scheduled bleeding and/or spotting.	Up to 11 months (12 cycles with 1 cycle = 28 days)
Number of Unscheduled Spotting Days Per Cycle	Unscheduled spotting is defined as any spotting that occurs while taking active hormones that does not meet the criteria for scheduled bleeding and/or spotting.	Up to 11 months (12 cycles with 1 cycle = 28 days)
Number of Subjects With Absence of Scheduled Bleeding and/or Spotting	Scheduled bleeding/spotting is defined as any bleeding/spotting that occurs during the hormone-free interval (i.e. Days 25 - 28) and continues through Days 1-3 of the subsequent active cycle.	Up to 11 months (12 cycles with 1 cycle = 28 days)
Number of Scheduled Bleeding and/or Spotting Days Per Cycle	Scheduled bleeding/spotting is defined as any bleeding/spotting that occurs during the hormone-free interval (i.e. Days 25 - 28) and continues through Days 1-3 of the subsequent active cycle.	Up to 11 months (12 cycles with 1 cycle = 28 days)
Number of Subjects With Bleeding and/or Spotting Episodes by Reference Period	Bleeding data were analysed by 91-day reference period. There were 4 RPs: Reference Period 1 = Day 1 to Day 91; Reference Period 2 = Day 92 to Day 182; Reference Period 3 = Day 183 to Day 273; and Reference Period 4 = Day 274 to Day 364.	Up to 12 months (13 cycles with 1 cycle = 28 days)
Mean Number of Bleeding and Spotting Days by Reference Period	Bleeding data were analysed by 91-day reference period (RP). There were 4 RPs: Reference Period 1 = Day 1 to Day 91; Reference Period 2 = Day 92 to Day 182; Reference Period 3 = Day 183 to Day 273; and Reference Period 4 = Day 274 to Day 364.	up to 12 months (13 cycles)
Number of Subjects With Treatment-emergent Adverse Events as a Measure of Safety and Tolerability.	A treatment-emergent adverse event (TEAE) was defined as any AE not present prior to the initiation of the treatment or any event already present that worsened in either intensity or frequency following exposure to the treatment. Since the starting point for adverse event (AE) collection was the signing of the informed consent, not the start of the investigational product, the AEs recorded prior to first investigational product administration were designated as AEs while those that occurred or worsened after the initiation of the investigational product were designated as TEAEs.	Up to 12 months (13 cycles with 1 cycle = 28 days)
Number of Participants With Clinically Significant out-of Range Hematology Results		Up to 12 months (13 cycles with 1 cycle = 28 days)
Number of Participants With Clinically Significant out-of Range Serum Chemistry and Lipid Profile Results		Up to 12 months (13 cycles with 1 cycle = 28 days)
Number of Subjects With Clinically Abnormal Vital Signs	Vital signs included sitting systolic and diastolic blood pressures, and heart rate. All abnormal findings in vital signs that were considered by the Investigator to be clinically significant were recorded as adverse events.	Up to 12 months (13 cycles with 1 cycle = 28 days)
Number of Participants With Clinically Abnormal Physical Examination Results	Physical examinations included an evaluation of body as a whole, skin, head, eyes, ears, nose, and throat, neck, cardiovascular, respiratory, musculoskeletal, neurologic, lymphatic/thyroid, abdomen. When reporting the results of the physical examination, the use of the "Abnormal" category was reserved for findings that were considered clinically significant, in the opinion of the Investigator; the "Normal" category included "Abnormal" results that were not clinically significant, as well as no findings.	Baseline and end of treatment (Cycle 13 with 1 cycle = 28 days)
Number of Participants With Clinically Abnormal Gynecological Examination Results	Gynecological examinations included breast examination (performed by palpation) and assessment of the adnexa, cervix, uterus, vagina, and external genitalia. When reporting the results, the use of the "Abnormal" category was reserved for findings that were considered clinically significant, in the opinion of the Investigator; the "Normal" category included "Abnormal" results that were not clinically significant, as well as no findings.	Baseline and end of treatment (Cycle 13 with 1 cycle = 28 days)
Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire - Short Form (Q-LES-Q-SF) Results at Baseline and End of Treatment - Percentage Maximum (Sum of First 14 Items)	The Q-LES-Q-SF is a self-report measure designed to assess the degree of enjoyment and satisfaction in daily functioning. Participants were asked to rate 16 different items on a 5-point scale where score 1 = very poor and score 5 = very good. A raw total score is calculated by summing the first 14 items and ranges from 14 to 70. The raw total score is then transformed into a percentage maximum score using the following formula: (raw total score-minimum score)/(maximum possible raw score-minimum score). The minimum raw is 14 and maximum raw score is 70. Thus the formula for % maximum score can be written as (raw score -14)/56. A higher percentage maximum score indicates a higher life enjoyment and satisfaction.	Baseline and end of treatment (Cycle 13 with 1 cycle = 28 days)
Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire - Short Form (Q-LES-Q-SF) Results at Baseline and End of Treatment - Satisfaction With Medicine and Overall Life Satisfaction and Contentment Over the Past Week	The Q-LES-Q-SF is a self-report measure designed to assess the degree of enjoyment and satisfaction in daily functioning. Participants were asked to rate 16 different items on a 5-point scale where score 1 = very poor and score 5 = very good. The last two items - item 15 rating "satisfaction with medicine" and item 16 rating "overall life satisfaction over the past week" are two global items that are scored individually. For both items, a higher score is associated with a better outcome.	Baseline and end of treatment (Cycle 13 with 1 cycle = 28 days)
Change From Baseline to End of Treatment in the Score of the Menstrual Distress Questionnaire (MDQ)	The MDQ is a standard method for measuring cyclical perimenstrual symptoms. The participants rated common symptoms and feelings associated with menstruation using the following scale: 0 (no experience of symptom), 1 (present, mild), 2 (present, moderate), 3 (present, strong),and 4 (present, severe) observed during pre-menstrual (4 days before menstruation), menstrual (most recent flow) and intermenstrual (remainder of the cycle) phases. Reported values are values at Cycle 13 minus values at Baseline. An overall positive change from baseline represents an increase in symptom or feeling severity.	Baseline and end of treatment (Cycle 13 with 1 cycle = 28 days)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Estetra
• Collaborators: PRA Health Sciences

Publications and helpful links

Helpful Links

• Related Info

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): August 30, 2016
• Primary Completion (Actual): October 16, 2018
• Study Completion (Actual): November 16, 2018

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 27, 2016
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 27, 2016
• First Posted (Estimate): June 29, 2016

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 10, 2020
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 24, 2020
• Last Verified: October 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Oral contraception; Prevention of pregnancy; Drospirenone; Estetrol
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Physiological Effects of Drugs; Hormones, Hormone Substitutes, and Hormone Antagonists; Natriuretic Agents; Diuretics; Hormone Antagonists; Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists; Diuretics, Potassium Sparing; Drospirenone
• Other Study ID Numbers: MIT-Es0001-C302

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

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