A Phase II Study to Assess the Efficacy and Safety of Luveris® (Lutropin Alfa) in Mid Follicular Phase for Controlled Ovarian Stimulation (COS) in Advanced Reproductive Age

• Status: Terminated
• Trial end date: 2010-10-01

Summary

Ovarian reserve is related to chronological age; 35 years of age is the accepted threshold for significant decline in assisted reproductive technologies (ART) success with scarce follicular recruitment and poor oocyte retrieval. New therapeutic schemes are sought to improve follicular response in ovarian ageing because of the increasing number of infertile women aged older than 35 years who are trying to get pregnant. The advent of gonadotropin releasing hormone analogue antagonist (GnRHant) offers new perspectives to address the issues related to advanced reproductive age since it prevents premature luteinizing hormone (LH) surges while not causing suppression in the early follicular phase. Gonadotropin releasing hormone analogue antagonists are administered in the latter stage of the ovarian stimulation to prevent LH surge by competitive blockade of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) receptors, thus producing a marked decrease in LH levels just when the interplay between follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and LH becomes important to complete follicular development and oocyte competence. Some studies in the past have shown the potential of recombinant human LH (r-hLH) supplementation in women of advanced reproductive age to improve oocyte quality, but these studies are of small size and did not provide data on the physiological mechanism behind the benefit obtained.

This randomized, comparative, parallel controlled Phase II study will be conducted in infertile female subjects aged 35-42 years undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF)/intra cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), to investigate whether the addition of r-hLH (when the lead follicle is greater than [>] 14 millimeter [mm] in size), to the standard protocol with recombinant human FSH (r-hFSH) under GnRHant, improves the number and quality of oocytes retrieved, implantation rate, and pregnancy rate, while assessing the hormonal milieu in the ovarian follicular fluid. Comparison will be performed against ovarian stimulation without addition of r-hLH, that is (i.e.) with r-hFSH under GnRHant alone.

• Phase: Phase 2

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Merck KGaA; Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
• Collaborator: Merck, S.L., Spain
• Treatments: Cetrorelix; Chorionic Gonadotropin; Follicle Stimulating Hormone