A Single Administration of AZP-3601, a Novel, Long-Acting PTH Analog, Induces a Significant and Sustained Calcemic Response: Preliminary Data From a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Phase 1 Study

Hypoparathyroidism is a rare disease characterized by a deficiency in parathyroid hormone (PTH) that results in hypocalcemia and hyperphosphatemia. Current treatment approaches, including high dose oral calcium and active vitamin D, as well as recombinant human PTH (1–84), do not provide adequate or consistent control of either serum calcium or clinical symptoms over a full 24-hour period. AZP-3601 is a novel 36 amino-acid PTH analog that has been designed to potently bind to the R(0) conformation of the PTH1 receptor, which results in prolonged signaling responses in vitro and prolonged calcemic responses in animals despite having a short circulating half-life. A Phase 1 double-blind, placebo-controlled, single and multiple ascending dose study is being conducted to evaluate the safety, tolerability and pharmacodynamics of AZP-3601 in healthy adults. Here we report data from the first cohorts of the single ascending dose portion of the study. Sequential cohorts of 4 (cohort 1) to 8 (cohort 2 to 4) healthy male subjects aged 18–60 years, with a body mass index of 19–28 kg/m(2), were assigned to receive 5, 10, 20 or 40μg of AZP-3601 or placebo at a ratio of 3:1. The study drug was administered in the morning by subcutaneous injection in the abdominal wall and was well tolerated with no remarkable adverse events. As compared with placebo controls, AZP-3601 treatment produced a clear, dose-dependent increase in mean albumin-adjusted serum calcium values from baseline. The normal physiological diurnal variation of albumin-adjusted serum calcium was gradually attenuated with 5 and 10μg AZP-3601, and was completely eliminated with 20μg. With the dose of 40μg AZP-3601, mean albumin-adjusted serum calcium values were significantly increased but stayed within normal laboratory range and remained elevated through at least 24 hours post-administration. We observed a dose-dependent decrease in mean endogenous serum PTH that was significantly correlated with the concomitant increase in mean serum calcium. These data provide initial evidence of the pharmacodynamic effect of AZP-3601 in healthy humans characterized by a sustained calcemic response for at least 24 hours following a single administration.