ge), 90% female, 77% white, 19% black, and 12% Hispanic] received treatment with LINZESS 290 mcg or placebo once daily and were eva luated for efficacy. All patients met Rome II criteria for IBS and were required, during the 2-week baseline period, to meet the following criteria:
•a mean abdominal pain score of at least 3 on a 0-to-10-point numeric rating scale
•less than 3 complete spontaneous bowel movements (CSBMs) per week [a CSBM is a spontaneous bowel movement (SBM) that is associated with a sense of complete evacuation; a SBM is a bowel movement occurring in the absence of laxative use], and
•less than or equal to 5 SBMs per week.
The trial designs were identical through the first 12 weeks, and thereafter differed only in that Trial 1 included a 4-week randomized withdrawal (RW) period, and Trial 2 continued for 14 additional weeks (total of 26 weeks) of double-blind treatment. During the trials, patients were allowed to continue stable doses of bulk laxatives or stool softeners but were not allowed to take laxatives, bismuth, prokinetic agents, or other drugs to treat IBS-C or chronic constipation.
Efficacy of LINZESS was assessed using overall responder analyses and change-from-baseline endpoints. Results for endpoints were based on information provided daily by patients in diaries.
The 4 primary efficacy responder endpoints were based on a patient being a weekly responder for either at least 9 out of the first 12 weeks of treatment or at least 6 out of the first 12 weeks of treatment. For the 9 out of 12 weeks combined primary responder endpoint, a patient had to have at least a 30% reduction from baseline in mean abdominal pain, at least 3 CSBMs and an increase of at least 1 CSBM from baseline, all in the same week, for at least 9 out of the first 12 weeks of treatment. Each of the 2 components of the 9 out of 12 weeks combined responder endpoint, abdominal pain and CSBMs, was also a primary endpoint.
For the 6 out of 12 weeks combined primary responder endpoint, a patient had to have at least a 30% reduction from baseline in mean abdominal pain and an increase of at least 1 CSBM from baseline, all in the same week, for at least 6 out of the first 12 weeks of treatment. To be considered a responder for this analysis, patients did not have to have at least 3 CSBMs per week.
The efficacy results for the 9 out of 12 weeks and the 6 out of 12 weeks responder endpoints are shown in Tables 3 and 4, respectively. In both trials, the proportion of patients who were responders to LINZESS 290 mcg was statistically significantly higher than with placebo.
Table 3: Efficacy Responder Rates in the Two Placebo-controlled IBS-C Trials: at Least 9 Out of 12 Weeks
* Primary Endpoints
Note: Analyses based on first 12 weeks of treatment for both Trials 1 and 2
CI =Confidence Interval
Trial 1
Trial 2
LINZESS
290 mcg
(N=405)
Placebo
(N=395)
Treatment Difference
[95% CI]
LINZESS
290 mcg
(N=401)
Placebo
(N=403)
Treatment Difference
[95% CI]
Combined Responder*
(Abdominal Pain and CSBM Responder)
12.1%
5.1%
7.0%
[3.2%, 10.9%]
12.7%
3.0%
9.7%
[6.1%, 13.4%]
Abdominal Pain Responder*
(≥ 30% Abdominal Pain Reduction)
34.3%
27.1%
7.2%
[0.9%, 13.6%]
38.9%
19.6%
19.3%
[13.2%, 25.4%]
