International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics 108 (2010) 21–25

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International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w. e l s ev i e r. c o m / l o c a t e / i j g o

CLINICAL ARTICLE

A dose-ranging study to determine the efficacy and safety of 1, 2, and 4 mg of dienogest daily for endometriosis Günter Köhler a,⁎, Thomas A. Faustmann b, Christoph Gerlinger c, Christian Seitz d, Alfred O. Mueck e a

Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Global Medical Affairs Women's Healthcare, Berlin, Germany Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Global Biostatistics, Berlin, Germany d Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Global Clinical Development Women's Healthcare, Berlin, Germany e Center of Endocrinology and Menopause, University Women's Hospital of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany b c

a r t i c l e

i n f o

Article history: Received 15 May 2009 Received in revised form 5 August 2009 Accepted 5 September 2009 Keywords: Dienogest Endometriosis Dose finding Pelvic pain Progestins

a b s t r a c t Objectives: To compare the efficacy and safety of dienogest at doses of 1, 2, and 4 mg/day orally in the treatment of endometriosis. Methods: An open-label, randomized, multicenter, 24-week comparative trial in women with histologically confirmed endometriosis. Efficacy was assessed by second-look laparoscopy and patient-reported symptoms. Statistical tests included χ2 and Wilcoxon signed rank tests. Results: Dienogest reduced mean revised American Fertility Society scores from 11.4 to 3.6 (n = 29; P < 0.001) in the 2-mg group and from 9.7 to 3.9 (n = 35; P < 0.001) in the 4-mg group. Dienogest at 2 and 4 mg/day was associated with symptom improvements in substantial proportions of women. Both dienogest doses were generally well tolerated, with low rates of treatment discontinuation due to adverse events. The 1-mg dose arm was discontinued owing to insufficient bleeding control. Conclusion: Dienogest at 2 mg once a day is recommended as the optimal dose in future studies of endometriosis. © 2009 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction Endometriosis remains a common condition in women of childbearing age, characterized by the presence of endometrium-like tissue in regions outside the uterus, including the ovaries and other pelvic structures [1]. Typical symptoms include pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, premenstrual pain, and lower back pain [1]. These symptoms characteristically impact adversely on physical, mental, and social well-being [2,3]. From a woman's perspective, the primary aim of treatment is to reduce the painful symptoms of endometriosis. Unspecific medical therapies include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which offer short-term analgesia; combined oral contraceptives, which are offlabel in endometriosis; and more specific therapies producing a hypoestrogenic environment, such as gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists, androgens (i.e. danazol), and progestins. No current treatment options can be considered ideal, in part because of their adverse event profiles. For example, danazol may cause undesirable androgenic effects and adverse lipid changes, and GnRH agonists in the absence of “add-back” therapy produce a hypoestro-

⁎ Corresponding author. Universität Greifswald, Klinik und Poliklinik für Frauenheilkunde und Geburtshilfe Wollweberstrasse 1, 17489 Greifswald, Germany. Tel.: +49 3834 86 6530; fax: +49 3834 86 6533. E-mail address: [email protected] (G. Köhler).

genic state, elevating the risk of bone loss that limits long-term use [1,4,5]. Progestins provide effective control of the symptoms of endometriosis, combined with a generally good tolerability profile [6]. The tolerability of progestins is, however, dose dependent and therefore the lowest effective dose should be established for each compound. Unfortunately, well-designed trials of progestins in the management of endometriosis are generally lacking. To our knowledge, even for the progestin most recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in endometriosis (medroxyprogesterone acetate injectable suspension), no information on dose finding is publicly available [7]. The publication of clinical trial data in endometriosis is to be encouraged [8]. Dienogest is a selective progestin that uniquely combines the pharmacological properties of 19-norprogestins and progesterone derivatives, offering a pronounced local effect on endometrial tissue [9]. Clinical trials of dienogest in endometriosis were initiated in the 1980s by Köhler et al. [10], although political factors in Germany then delayed further investigation for several years. The original trial and follow-up investigations, which studied dienogest at a range of doses, report consistent efficacy with a safety profile that includes lack of androgenicity and estrogenic activity and minimal impact on metabolic parameters [11–15]. The present study compares the efficacy and safety of dienogest at 1, 2, and 4 mg/day over 24 weeks, with the aim to define the lowest effective dose in the treatment of endometriosis. Notably, the study

0020-7292/$ – see front matter © 2009 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.ijgo.2009.08.020

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includes laparoscopy at baseline with second-look laparoscopy at study end to provide information on the underlying pathology.

Table 1 Baseline demographics and disease characteristics of patients (full-analysis set).a Parameter

Dienogest

2. Materials and methods Women between menarche and menopause were eligible for enrolment if they had histologically-confirmed endometriosis stage I (minimal), II (mild), or Ill (moderate) according to the revised classification of the American Fertility Society (rAFS; renamed the American Society for Reproductive Medicine) [16,17]. Endometriosis was confirmed and rAFS stage was assessed at diagnostic laparoscopy. No ablative surgery was performed during the initial diagnostic laparoscopy. Washout periods for previous hormonal therapies were 2 weeks for oral therapy, 6 weeks for depot treatments, and 2 weeks for intranasal (GnRH agonist) therapy. Exclusion criteria included contraindications to progestins, severe metabolic diseases, undiagnosed irregular bleeding patterns in the last 6 months, known alcohol or drug abuse, or pregnancy. Concurrent treatment with other hormonal preparations was not permitted. Patients were requested to restrict the use of other medications to a minimum and report the nature, dose, duration, and cause of their use. The study was an open-label, randomized, multicenter, 24-week comparative trial of dienogest at 1, 2, or 4 mg once a day orally, to determine the optimal dose for efficacy and safety in the treatment of endometriosis. Patients were randomly allocated to treatment groups using a computer-generated randomization list. Preliminary results have been summarized previously [18]. The study was conducted at 9 centers in Germany. The study protocol was approved by the local lndependent Ethics Committee and participants provided written informed consent. The study was conducted in accordance with the amended version of the Declaration of Helsinki and complied with Good Clinical Practice. Study discontinuation was permitted at any time at the discretion of the investigators or the choice of patients. The primary efficacy variable was change in stage of endometriosis according to the rAFS classification, based on laparoscopy performed within 2 weeks of study onset and repeated within 2 weeks of study end. Proportions of women at each endometriosis stage and mean changes in rAFS score before and after treatment were assessed. Additional efficacy variables included patient-reported symptoms of dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, diffuse pelvic pain, and premenstrual pain at weeks 6, 12, and 24, and gynecological examination at baseline and week 24. The primary safety variable was tolerability, assessed by directly questioning women on incidences of adverse events commonly associated with endometriosis and hormonal therapy, including nausea/ vomiting, bloated feeling, meteorism, headache, depressive mood, hot flushes, acne, and hirsutism. Additional adverse events were documented from spontaneous reports and analyzed according to World Health Organization system-organ class. A serious adverse event was defined as any event that was fatal or life-threatening, could seriously or permanently damage the patient's health, or necessitated prolonged hospitalization. Secondary safety variables included bleeding patterns, vital signs, and clinical laboratory parameters (blood count, liver enzymes, creatinine, and glucose), which were assessed in all women, with additional measurements (coagulation and thyroid parameters, lipid profile, insulin concentrations, and HbA1c) in the 4-mg group. Patients kept a daily chart in which they recorded changes in the intensity, duration, and frequency of vaginal bleeding. The bleeding pattern was analyzed over 4-week treatment intervals. Adverse events, bleeding patterns, and vital signs were assessed at weeks 6, 12, and 24. Laboratory tests were performed at baseline and weeks 12 and 24. The study was designed to estimate the lowest effective dose of dienogest in the treatment of endometriosis. The χ2 test was used to assess whether stages of endometriosis by rAFS classification differed

Age, y Height, cm Body weight, kg Body mass index b Blood pressure: systolic/diastolic, mm Hg Age at menarche, y Menstrual cycle length, d Bleeding duration, d rAFS score

1 mg (n = 4)

2 mg (n = 29)

4 mg (n = 35)

33.5 ± 4.4 163.5 ± 4.7 64.5 ± 7.0 24.2 ± 2.7 110.0 ± 14.1/ 72.5 ± 12.6 13.0 ± 0.8 28.0 ± 0.0 5.0 ± 0.0 5.0 ± 3.5

27.6 ± 7.3 168.4 ± 6.9 63.0 ± 8.9 22.3 ± 3.2 115.5 ± 9.3/ 73.1 ± 8.1 12.9 ± 1.3 28.6 ± 1.4 5.1 ± 2.0 11.4 ± 9.2

31.7 ± 6.2 166.7 ± 7.4 60.9 ± 9.6 21.9 ± 3.2 116.4 ± 13.7/ 71.8 ± 8.0 13.1 ± 1.1 28.0 ± 1.9 5.6 ± 1.5 9.7 ± 7.9

Abbreviation: rAFS, revised American Fertility Society. a Values are given as mean ± SD. b Body mass index calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters.

between dose groups at study end and the Wilcoxon signed rank test assessed whether changes from baseline in rAFS score differed from zero within each dose group. A comparison-wise 2-sided significance level α of 5% was used for all tests. A sample size of 20 women per dose group was considered to be sufficient. With a sample size of 20, a 0.050 level χ2 test has 91% power to distinguish between the groups when the proportions in the 4 categories are characterized by an effect size, Δ2 = ΣΣ (πij-πj)2/(Gπj), of 0.30. 3. Results Sixty-eight women were enrolled, including 29 in the 2-mg group and 35 in the 4-mg group. Randomization to the 1-mg group was halted prematurely after inclusion of 4 patients, because of irregular menstrual bleeding in all patients; efficacy and safety data are not presented for this group. Women in the 2-mg and 4-mg groups were comparable for age, bodyweight, and body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared), with no relevant differences in gynecological history or rAFS score (Table 1). Three patients in both the 2-mg and 4-mg groups had previously undergone surgery for endometriosis. Fifty-seven patients (83.8%) completed the study (Fig. 1). Rate of treatment compliance, measured by returned pill counts, was 95.6%. Efficacy and safety analyses were performed on the full-analysis set (n = 29, 2-mg group; n = 35, 4-mg group).

Fig. 1. Flow of patients through the study.

G. Köhler et al. / International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics 108 (2010) 21–25

Fig. 2. Proportions of women (%) at each stage of endometriosis according to revised American Fertility Society (rAFS) classification at baseline and after treatment with dienogest 2 mg or 4 mg for 24 weeks (full-analysis set).

The severity of endometriosis measured by rAFS score decreased in both 2-mg and 4-mg groups at 24 weeks. At baseline in the 2-mg group, 34.5%, 37.9%, and 27.6% of women had stage I, II, and III endometriosis, respectively. After 24 weeks, 23.8% had an rAFS classification of no endometriosis and 52.4%, 9.5%, and 4.8% had stage I, II, and III endometriosis, respectively (Fig. 2). Similarly in the 4-mg group, 42.9%, 34.3%, and 22.9% of women had stage I, II, and III endometriosis, respectively, at baseline. After 24 weeks, 20.0% were classified with no endometriosis and proportions with stage I, II, and III disease were 50.0%, 26.7%, and 3.3%, respectively (Fig. 2). Histological examination at 24 weeks in the 2-mg (n= 13) and 4-mg (n= 21) groups identified no endometriosis in approximately one-third and half of women, respectively. Dienogest at both doses significantly reduced mean rAFS scores from baseline to week 24 (Fig. 3). Mean (SEM) rAFS scores decreased from 11.4 ± 1.71 to 3.6 ± 0.95 (P < 0.001) in the 2-mg group and from 9.7 ± 1.34 to 3.9 ± 0.74 (P < 0.001) in the 4-mg group. There were no significant differences in laparoscopic scoring between these groups at final visit. Dienogest was associated with symptom improvements in substantial proportions of women. Rates of dyspareunia decreased significantly from 51.7% at baseline to 6.9% at week 24 in the 2-mg group, and from 57.1% to 5.7% in the 4-mg group. Similar decreases were observed in the 2-mg and 4-mg groups for diffuse pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, and premenstrual pain (Fig. 4). No patient reported using pain medication during the study. At baseline, gynecological inspection, palpation, or colposcopy was painful in 75.9% and 73.2% of women, respectively, in the 2-mg and 4-mg groups. By 24 weeks, proportions of women reporting painful examination decreased to 44.8% and 21.4%, respectively.

Fig. 3. Mean (± SEM) revised American Fertility Society (rAFS) score at baseline and after treatment with dienogest 2 mg or 4 mg for 24 weeks (full-analysis set).

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Dienogest was generally well tolerated. Most adverse events were mild to moderate in intensity and rates of adverse event-related discontinuations were low (Fig. 1). Two women experienced serious adverse events in the 2-mg group. One woman developed moderate diffuse pelvic pain attributed to failed therapy. Doubling the dienogest dose to 2-mg twice daily failed to improve the pelvic pain and laparoscopy identified a functional ovarian cyst. In the second woman, symptoms of endometriosis remained unchanged during treatment, while rectal bleeding and episodes of intermenstrual bleeding were reported at 6 weeks. Doubling the dienogest dose was ineffective in resolving symptoms or rectal bleeding and the patient discontinued to seek surgical treatment, when ovarian cysts were identified. The ovarian cysts were considered to be potentially treatment-related in the first woman and unrelated to treatment in the second. Direct questioning of women on incidences of adverse events commonly associated with endometriosis and hormonal therapy indicated progressive decreases in frequency in both groups (Table 2). In the 2-mg group, decreases in the frequency of headache and depressive mood were statistically significant. The frequency and severity of adverse events did not, in general, differ between the groups. The most common spontaneously reported adverse events (i.e. in more than 5% of all patients) were back pain (10.3% in 2-mg group vs 5.9% in 4-mg group), fatigue (10.3% vs 2.9%), painful defecation (6.9% vs 5.9%), breast discomfort (3.4% vs 8.8%), breast pain (3.4% vs 11.8%), and alopecia (3.4% vs 14.7%). Irregular bleeding was experienced by 55.2% in the 2-mg group and 68.6% in the 4-mg group. Mean durations of irregular bleeding were 7.5 ± 5.6 and 7.5 ± 7.0 days per 4-week treatment period, respectively. Bleeding showed a trend to decreased intensity over time in both groups. Mean numbers of bleeding episodes per 4-week period were similar in both groups (1.7 ± 1.2 in 2-mg vs 1.4 ± 0.9 in 4-mg group), with no clear trend over time. No patients discontinued due to bleeding irregularities. Minimal changes in bodyweight were observed. Mean bodyweight in the 2-mg and 4-mg group, respectively, was 63.0 ± 8.9 kg and 60.9 ± 9.6 kg at baseline and 63.7 ± 8.8 kg and 61.6 ± 10.2 kg at final visit. There were no relevant changes in systolic or diastolic blood pressure. Clinical laboratory measurements indicated no pathological changes in any patients. Incidences of deviations outside the normal range were rated not clinically relevant. 4. Discussion The present study examined the efficacy and safety of dienogest at doses of 1, 2, and 4 mg once daily for 24 weeks in women with stage I, II, or III endometriosis. Second-look laparoscopy demonstrated that dienogest at 2 mg and 4 mg significantly reduced mean rAFS scores and substantially reduced the proportions of women with more severe endometriosis. Dienogest at 2 mg and 4 mg daily also alleviated symptoms typical of endometriosis (dyspareunia, dysmenorrhea, diffuse pelvic pain, and premenstrual pain) in substantial proportions of women. Profiles of symptom improvement were broadly similar between these dose groups. Following initial investigations by Köhler et al. [10], dienogest has been investigated in endometriosis at doses up to 2 × 10 mg/day [15]. In a study of the highest dose, which investigated patients with rAFS classification I–IV, dienogest demonstrated a high level of efficacy, measured by laparoscopy and symptom assessment, coupled with an acceptable safety profile [15]. The proportion of patients with more severe endometriosis (stage III/IV) decreased during dienogest treatment from 70% to 30%. Dienogest was also effective for endometriosis at a 2 × 1-mg dose for 16 weeks in patients with rAFS stage II–IV who underwent surgery prior to treatment [19]. Dienogest and the GnRH agonist, triptorelin (3.75 mg by intramuscular injection every 4 weeks), provided equivalent improvements in symptoms,

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Fig. 4. Proportions of women (%) reporting endometriosis-related symptoms (dyspareunia, diffuse pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, and premenstrual pain) at baseline and after treatment with dienogest 2 mg or 4 mg for 24 weeks (full-analysis set). All changes in incidence of symptoms from baseline to week 24 were statistically significant, with the exception of change in diffuse pelvic pain in the 2-mg group.

signs, and patient satisfaction [19]. A dose-finding study examined dienogest at 1, 2, or 4 mg/day in divided doses, using measures of symptom change and physical examination, and reported that the 2 × 1-mg dose provided optimal efficacy [20]. The present study extends these findings by showing that dienogest 2 mg, in an easyto-use once-daily regimen, is effective for improving the underlying pathology and symptoms of endometriosis. Dienogest at 2 mg and 4 mg once daily was generally well tolerated. Adverse events were mostly mild to moderate in intensity and associated with low rates of discontinuation. The frequency of expected adverse events, including nausea/vomiting, bloating, meteorism, headache, and depressive mood, actually decreased during treatment, which may reflect a treatment effect of dienogest, as these events may also be symptoms of endometriosis. Decreases in the frequency of events appeared greater in the 2-mg than the 4-mg group. Changes in bodyweight were minimal and no clinically significant alterations in laboratory parameters occurred with either dose. The absence of notable effects on lipid, carbohydrate, and liver metabolism is consistent with other investigations of dienogest in endometriosis [12,13,21]. A neutral effect on lipids was also observed for dienogest combined with ethinyl estradiol [22]. This profile may represent a benefit for dienogest compared with other therapies such as danazol, which is associated with increased low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and, in cases, increased total cholesterol levels [23].

Table 2 Frequency of expected adverse events based on solicited questioning (full-analysis set, excluding missing data).a Adverse event

Dienogest

a b

5. Conflict of interest Professor Günter Köhler and Professor Alfred Mueck have no commercial association that might pose a conflict of interest. Drs Thomas Faustmann, Christoph Gerlinger, and Christian Seitz are full-time employees of Bayer Schering Pharma AG. Acknowledgments

2 mg

Nausea/vomiting Bloated feeling Meteorism Headache Depressive mood Other b

The 1-mg dose arm was discontinued owing to insufficient bleeding control. Irregular bleeding was also observed in the 2 mgand 4-mg groups, although this was generally of mild intensity and led to no discontinuations. No differences in bleeding pattern were evident between the 2-mg and 4-mg groups. The bleeding profile of dienogest appears to be well tolerated in light of the accompanying symptom relief [18]. In conclusion, the robust measures of efficacy and safety in this dose-ranging study of dienogest indicate that 2 mg/day is the lowest effective dose for the treatment of endometriosis and offers slightly superior tolerability compared with the 4-mg dose. Dienogest at 2 mg once daily is recommended as the optimal dose for provision of efficacy and safety in endometriosis studies. Future studies will investigate the efficacy and safety of dienogest compared with placebo and leuprolide acetate, with the aims to negate the known impact of placebo treatment and to compare dienogest with a current goldstandard therapy in endometriosis [5,24]. Based on the efficacy and safety profiles of dienogest characterized to date, which together offer the likelihood of enhanced adherence, combined with its ease of administration, dienogest may be particularly effective for the treatment of endometriosis.

4 mg

Baseline visit (n = 29)

24 week visit (n = 24)

Baseline visit (n = 34)

24 week visit (n = 30)

2 (6.9) 8 (27.6) 9 (31.0) 12 (41.4) 9 (31.0) 7 (24.1)

0 (0) 1 (4.2) 3 (12.5) 4 (16.7) 2 (8.3) 4 (16.7)

6 10 12 13 4 14

2 (6.7) 2 (6.7) 5 (16.7) 7 (23.3) 1 (3.3) 10 (33.3)

(17.6) (29.4) (35.3) (38.2) (11.8) (41.2)

Values are given as number (percentage). Including hot flushes, acne, hirsutism, breast pain, hair loss, and loss of libido.

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