Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice.
The safety of TLANDO 225 mg twice daily, without dose titration, was evaluated in 233 hypogonadal males during two clinical studies: Study LPCN 1021-18-001 (18-001) and Study LPCN 1021-16-002 (16-002) [see Clinical Studies (
14)].
In Study 18-001, an uncontrolled ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) study, 138 hypogonadal males were treated with TLANDO 225 mg twice daily with morning and evening meals for approximately four months. Patients had a median age of 54 years (range 26-75), 79% were White, 18% were Black, and 2% were Asian. In 138 hypogonadal male patients, 70% (n=96) were obese (BMI≥30 kg/m2), 24% (n=33) reported a history of type 2 diabetes, and 48% (n=66) reported a history of hypertension.
Table 1 summarizes adverse reactions (>2%) reported in patients receiving TLANDO in Study 18-001.
Table 1. Adverse Reactions ≥ 2% in Patients Receiving TLANDO in Study 18-001| Adverse Reaction | Overall (N=138) n (%) |
| Hypertension | 7 (5.1) |
| Hematocrit increased | 6 (4.3) |
| Upper respiratory tract infection | 5 (3.6) |
Four of the 138 patients (2.9%) in Study 18-001 reported adverse reactions that led to premature discontinuation from the study, including dizziness (n=1), weight increased (n=1), insomnia (n=1), and hypertension (n=2).
In Study 16-002, 95 hypogonadal males were treated with TLANDO 225 mg twice daily with morning and evening meals for approximately 24 days. The dose of TLANDO was not titrated. Patients had a median age of 56 years (range 29-74), 81% were White, 16% were Black, 2% were mixed race, and 1% were Asian; 26% were Hispanic. In 95 hypogonadal male patients, 70% (n=66) were obese (BMI≥30 kg/m2), 23% (n=22) reported a history of type 2 diabetes, and 50% (n=47) reported a history of hypertension.
Table 2 summarized adverse reactions (>2%) reported during Study 16-002 in patients receiving TLANDO.
Table 2. Adverse Reactions ≥2% in Patients Receiving TLANDO in Study 16-002| Adverse Reaction | Overall (N=95) n (%) |
| Blood prolactin increased | 6 (6.3) |
| Weight increased | 2 (2.1) |
| Headache | 2 (2.1) |
| Musculoskeletal pain | 2 (2.1) |
One of the 95 patients (1.1%) in the 24-day study reported an adverse reaction (gastric ulcer hemorrhage) that led to premature discontinuation from the study.
Blood Pressure Increases
In Study 18-001 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) was conducted in 138 male patients, 126 of whom completed the study. ABPM was conducted at 2 distinct 24-hour time periods: at baseline and following approximately 16 weeks of treatment with TLANDO. A total of 123 patients had acceptable 24-hour ABPM recordings at both time periods. In that group, the mean change in systolic BP from Baseline to End of Study was + 4.3 mmHg (95% CI 2.1, 6.5) and the mean change in diastolic BP was 1.4 mmHg (95% CI 0.5, 2.3). In patients with a history of hypertension at baseline, the mean ABPM systolic and diastolic blood pressure increased by 4.8 mmHg (95% CI 1.0, 8.5) and 1.6 mmHg (95% CI 0.1, 3.0), respectively (n=60). In patients with no history of hypertension at baseline systolic and diastolic blood pressure increased by 3.9 mmHg (95% CI 0.9, 6.8) and 1.2 mmHg (95% CI -0.1, 2.5), respectively (n =63).
2 patients (1.4 %) in the TLANDO safety set (n=138) either started new antihypertensive medications (n=2) or had their antihypertensive medication regimen adjusted (n=0) during Study 18-001.
Of the 138 patients in Study 18-001 who used TLANDO, 7 patients (5.1%) were reported to have either an adverse reaction of hypertension (7 patients, 5.1%) or increased blood pressure (0 patients, 0.0%).
Cardiovascular Outcomes
TRAVERSE was a randomized, double-blind, cardiovascular outcomes study to assess the cardiovascular (CV) safety of topical testosterone gel compared to placebo in 5198 hypogonadal men aged 45 to 80 years with a history of CV disease or with multiple CV risk factors. The primary outcome was the incidence of the composite endpoint of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), consisting of CV death, non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI), and non-fatal stroke.
The mean duration of therapy was approximately 22 months. The mean duration of follow-up was 33 months. Approximately 61% of all patients discontinued topical testosterone gel or placebo therapy.
The mean patient age (±SD) was 63.3 (7.9) years, with 2452 patients aged 65 years or more (47%), 2847 (about 55%) patients had pre-existing cardiovascular disease, whereas 2357 patients (about 45%) had an elevated cardiovascular risk at baseline, and mean BMI was 35 kg/m2. Approximately 80% of patients were White, 17% were Black, and 3% were of other races or ethnic groups. Approximately 69%, 84%, and 93% had diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension, respectively.
The mean serum testosterone concentration at baseline in patients receiving topical testosterone gel was 220.4 ng/dL (n=2596). The mean serum testosterone concentrations at 12 months, 24 months, 36 months, and 48 months in patients receiving topical testosterone gel were 440.5 ng/dL (n=1683), 420.9 ng/dl (n=1125), 428.7 ng/dL (n=731), and 365.2 ng/dL (n=220), respectively.
For patients treated with topical testosterone gel, the incidence of MACE was 7.0% (n=182 events) and for those receiving placebo, the incidence of MACE was 7.3% (n=190 events). The study demonstrated non-inferiority of topical testosterone gel versus placebo because the upper bound of 95% CI was less than the pre-specified risk margin, of 1.5 for MACE (Hazard Ratio 0.96 [95% CI: 0.78, 1.17]).
Additional Adverse Reactions Reported in TRAVERSE
Additional adverse reactions reported in TRAVERSE at an incidence rate >2% in either treatment group and greater in topical testosterone gel versus placebo included: nonfatal arrythmias warranting intervention (5.2% vs 3.3%), atrial fibrillation (3.5% vs 2.4%), acute kidney injury (2.3% vs 1.5%) and bone fracture (3.5% vs 2.5%). For the adverse reaction of bone fracture, each event was adjudicated by clinical review.
Increases in Hematocrit
Increases in hematocrit were reported in 6 of the 138 patients (4.3%) in Study 18-001. None of these increases led to premature discontinuation of TLANDO.
Increases in Prolactin
Increases in serum prolactin were reported in 6 (6.3%) of the 95 patients in the 24-day clinical study. The mean increase from baseline in serum prolactin was 7.0 ng/mL (n=93). The 4-month clinical study did not assess serum prolactin concentrations after the screening visit.