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The following is a summary of “Deucrictibant for angioedema due to acquired C1-inhibitor deficiency: A randomized controlled trial,” published in the July 2024 issue of Allergy & Immunology by Petersen, et al.

Angioedema caused by acquired C1-inhibitor deficiency is an extremely rare but severe condition, with a prevalence of about 1 in 500,000 individuals. Currently, no approved treatments for managing or preventing swelling in these patients exist. Deucrictibant, an oral antagonist of the bradykinin B2 receptor, is being studied for its potential use in hereditary angioedema. For a study, researchers sought to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of deucrictibant for both acute treatment and prevention of angioedema episodes in patients with acquired C1-inhibitor deficiency.

The research was conducted as a two-part, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study. In the first part, four successive angioedema episodes were treated with three doses of deucrictibant (10 mg, 20 mg, and 30 mg) or with a placebo. In the second part, patients received either 20 mg of deucrictibant or a placebo twice daily over two eight-week treatment periods.

The study included three patients, with one completing both parts and two completing only the second part. In the first part, attacks treated with deucrictibant showed a decrease in severity, whereas the severity increased in the attack treated with a placebo. In the second part, the average monthly attack rates during the placebo period were 2.0, 0.6, and 1.0, while the rates were 0.0 for all patients during treatment with deucrictibant. There were no severe adverse events reported, and only one self-limiting treatment-emergent adverse event (abdominal pain).

Deucrictibant is a promising and safe option for treating and preventing angioedema attacks in individuals with acquired C1-inhibitor deficiency.

Reference: jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(24)00271-9/fulltext