A anorexia/cachexia drug
Patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer had significant gains in lean body mass and weight when treated with the ghrelin agonist anamorelin.
Hand grip strength did not improve significantly in the anamorelin group.
Ghrelin is the ligand of ghrelin receptor, which induces the release of growth hormone and acts through multiple signaling pathways that regulate body weight, lean body mass, appetite, and metabolism.
Anamorelin is a ghrelin mimetic that was associated with significant weight gain in a phase II trial involving patients with advanced NSCLC,
Eligible patients had unresectable stage III/IV NSCLC, ≥5% body weight loss within the previous 6 months (cancer anorexia-cachexia) or body mass index (BMI) <20, and life expectancy >4 months.
Lean body mass increased by an average of 2.5 lbs in anamorelin-treated patients in ROMANA 1 and by about 1.5 lbs in ROMANA 2.
Body weight in the two trials increased quickly and throughout the 12-week study period in anamorelin-treated patients.
Quality of life increased significantly in anamorelin-treated patients versus the control group in both trials.