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Phase 3 Study of Deoxycholic Acid Injection (ATX-101) Versus Placebo for the Reduction of Localized Subcutaneous Fat in the Submental Area

Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Phase 3 Study of ATX-101 (Sodium Deoxycholate Injection) Versus Placebo for the Reduction of Localized Subcutaneous Fat in the Submental Area

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT01542034
Acronym
REFINE-1
Enrollment
506
Registered
2012-03-01
Start date
2012-02-29
Completion date
2013-08-31
Last updated
2015-06-15

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Moderate or Severe Submental Fullness

Brief summary

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of deoxycholic acid injection in the reduction of submental fat (fat below the chin).

Interventions

Formulated as an injectable solution containing deoxycholic acid at a concentration of 10 mg/mL.

DRUGPlacebo

Phosphate buffered saline placebo for injection

Sponsors

Kythera Biopharmaceuticals
Lead SponsorINDUSTRY

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Investigator)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

1. Submental fat graded by the investigator as 2 or 3 using the Clinician-Reported Submental Fat Rating Scale (CR-SMFRS) and graded by the subject as 2 or 3 using the Patient-Reported Submental Fat Rating Scale (PR-SMFRS) as determined on Visit 1 (within 28 days before randomization). 2. Dissatisfaction with the submental area expressed by the subject as a rating of 0, 1, or 2 using the Subject Self Rating Scale (SSRS) as determined on Visit 1 (within 28 days before randomization). 3. Males and nonpregnant, nonlactating females 18 to 65 years of age, inclusive, on the day of randomization (Visit 2). Females of childbearing potential must have a negative human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) test result within 28 days before Visit 2 and agree to practice adequate contraception, in the judgment of the investigator, during the course of the study. Females of childbearing potential who are not sexually active need not practice contraception. 4. History of stable body weight, in the judgment of the investigator, for at least 6 months before randomization. 5. Expected to understand and agree to comply with the visit schedule and all protocol-specified tests and procedures and agreement by the subject to refrain from making significant changes, in the judgment of the investigator, to his or her dietary or exercise habits during the course of the subject's participation. 6. Agreement to forego any treatment or behavior (e.g., unshaven facial hair) during the subject's participation in the study that may affect the assessments of the submental area. 7. Medically able to undergo the administration of study material determined by clinical and laboratory tests obtained within 28 days before randomization for which the investigator identified no clinically significant abnormality. 8. Signed informed consent obtained before any study-specific procedure is performed.

Exclusion criteria

1. History of any intervention to treat submental fat (e.g., liposuction, surgery, or lipolytic agents). 2. History of trauma associated with the chin or neck areas that in the judgment of the investigator may affect evaluation of safety or efficacy of treatment. 3. A Submental Skin Laxity Grade (SMSLG) of 4 or other anatomical feature (e.g., predominant subplatysmal fat, loose skin in the neck or chin area, prominent platysmal bands), as assessed within 28 days before randomization, for which reduction in submental fat may, in the judgment of the investigator, result in an aesthetically unacceptable outcome. 4. Evidence of any cause of enlargement in the submental area (e.g., thyroid enlargement, cervical adenopathy) other than localized submental fat. 5. Body mass index of \> 40.0 as determined on Visit 1. 6. History or current symptoms of dysphagia. 7. A result on coagulation tests (PT, PTT) obtained within 28 days before randomization that indicates the presence of any clinically significant bleeding disorder. 8. Any medical condition (e.g., respiratory, cardiovascular, hepatic, neurological disease, or thyroid dysfunction) that would interfere with assessment of safety or efficacy or compromise the subject's ability to undergo study procedures or give informed consent. 9. Treatment with radio frequency, laser procedures, chemical peels, or dermal fillers in the neck or chin area within 12 months before randomization. 10. Treatment with botulinum toxin injections in the neck or chin area within 6 months before randomization. 11. History of sensitivity to any components of the study material 12. History of sensitivity to topical or local anesthetics (e.g., lidocaine, benzocaine, procaine). 13. Previous randomization in this study or previous participation in a Kythera-sponsored ATX 101 trial. 14. Treatment with an investigational device or agent within 30 days before randomization. 15. For centers selected to conduct magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evaluations, any subject with the presence of any condition that would render a subject unsuitable for MRI evaluation (e.g., claustrophobia), or metals in the body that would interfere with MRI acquisition (e.g., nonremovable metal appliances in the mouth such as silver or gold caps, pacemakers, metal joints).

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Percentage of Participants Who Achieved a Composite 1-grade ResponseBaseline and 12 weeks after last treatment (up to 32 weeks after first treatment)A composite 1-grade response is defined as at least a 1-grade improvement from Baseline on both the Clinician-Reported Submental Fat Rating Scale (CR-SMFRS) and Patient-Reported Submental Fat Rating Scale (PR-SMFRS) 12 weeks after the last treatment. The CR-SMFRS score is based on the investigator's clinical evaluation of the participant, where submental fullness is scored on a 5-point ordinal scale (0-4) with 0 = absent, 1 = mild, 2 = moderate, 3 = severe, and 4 = extreme. The PR-SMFRS is based on the participant's response to the question How much fat do you have under your chin right now? answered on a 5-point ordinal scale (0-4) with 0 = no chin fat at all, 1 = a slight amount of chin fat, 2 = a moderate amount of chin fat, 3 = a large amount of chin fat, and 4 = a very large amount of chin fat.
Percentage of Participants Who Achieved a Composite 2-grade ResponseBaseline and 12 weeks after last treatment (up to 32 weeks after first treatment)A composite 2-grade response is defined as at least a 2-grade improvement from Baseline on both the Clinician-Reported Submental Fat Rating Scale (CR-SMFRS) and Patient-Reported Submental Fat Rating Scale (PR-SMFRS) 12 weeks after the last treatment. The CR-SMFRS score is based on the investigator's clinical evaluation of the participant, where submental fullness is scored on a 5-point ordinal scale (0-4) with 0 = absent, 1 = mild, 2 = moderate, 3 = severe, and 4 = extreme. The PR-SMFRS is based on the participant's response to the question How much fat do you have under your chin right now? answered on a 5-point ordinal scale (0-4) with 0 = no chin fat at all, 1 = a slight amount of chin fat, 2 = a moderate amount of chin fat, 3 = a large amount of chin fat, and 4 = a very large amount of chin fat.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Percentage of Participants With a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) ResponseBaseline and 12 weeks after last treatment (up to 32 weeks after first treatment)An MRI responder is a participant who exhibited at least a 10% reduction in submental fat volume as measured by MRI from Baseline to 12 weeks after last treatment. Magnetic resonance imaging was evaluated in a subset of participants at selected centers.
Change From Baseline in Patient-Reported Submental Fat Impact Scale (PR-SMFIS)Baseline and 12 weeks after last treatment (up to 32 weeks after first treatment)The PR-SMFIS assesses the impact of submental fat on self-perception of 6 emotional and visual characteristics related to the appearance of submental fullness (unhappy, bothered, self-conscious, embarrassed, look older, and look overweight) as evaluated by the participant. Each item is rated on an 11-point numeric scale from 0 to 10. Scores for the 6 items were averaged to generate a PR-SMFIS total scale score ranging from 0 to 10 where 0 is a positive outcome and 10 is a negative outcome. A negative change from Baseline indicates improvement.

Countries

Canada, United States

Participant flow

Recruitment details

The study was performed at 35 investigational centers in the United States (US) and Canada.

Participants by arm

ArmCount
Deoxycholic Acid Injection
Participants received deoxycholic acid 2 mg/cm² administered in 0.2 mL injections, up to 10 mL per treatment session at intervals of approximately 1 month for up to a maximum of 6 treatments.
256
Placebo
Participants received placebo administered in 0.2 mL injections, up to 10 mL per treatment session at intervals of approximately 1 month for up to a maximum of 6 treatments.
250
Total506

Withdrawals & dropouts

PeriodReasonFG000FG001
Overall StudyAdministrative decision03
Overall StudyAdverse Event22
Overall StudyConsent Withdrawn (Subject Convenience)2012
Overall StudyLost to Follow-up76
Overall StudySubject Noncompliance10

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicDeoxycholic Acid InjectionPlaceboTotal
Age, Continuous49.5 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 9.3
49.4 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 9.33
49.5 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 9.3
Age, Customized
18 - 50 years
122 participants121 participants243 participants
Age, Customized
51 - 65 years
134 participants129 participants263 participants
Body Mass Index (BMI)29.23 kg/m²
STANDARD_DEVIATION 4.406
29.26 kg/m²
STANDARD_DEVIATION 4.281
29.25 kg/m²
STANDARD_DEVIATION 4.34
Fitzpatrick Skin Type
I - III
180 participants187 participants367 participants
Fitzpatrick Skin Type
IV - VI
76 participants63 participants139 participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
American Indian or Alaskan Native
0 participants2 participants2 participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Asian
7 participants5 participants12 participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Black or African American
24 participants13 participants37 participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Hispanic or Latino
28 participants17 participants45 participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Multiple
2 participants0 participants2 participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
0 participants1 participants1 participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Non-Hispanic or Latino
228 participants233 participants461 participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Other
5 participants2 participants7 participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
White
218 participants227 participants445 participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
213 Participants208 Participants421 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
43 Participants42 Participants85 Participants
Weight81.15 kg
STANDARD_DEVIATION 14.549
80.98 kg
STANDARD_DEVIATION 14.296
81.07 kg
STANDARD_DEVIATION 14.411

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
EG001
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
— / —— / —
other
Total, other adverse events
246 / 257196 / 248
serious
Total, serious adverse events
6 / 25712 / 248

Outcome results

Primary

Percentage of Participants Who Achieved a Composite 1-grade Response

A composite 1-grade response is defined as at least a 1-grade improvement from Baseline on both the Clinician-Reported Submental Fat Rating Scale (CR-SMFRS) and Patient-Reported Submental Fat Rating Scale (PR-SMFRS) 12 weeks after the last treatment. The CR-SMFRS score is based on the investigator's clinical evaluation of the participant, where submental fullness is scored on a 5-point ordinal scale (0-4) with 0 = absent, 1 = mild, 2 = moderate, 3 = severe, and 4 = extreme. The PR-SMFRS is based on the participant's response to the question How much fat do you have under your chin right now? answered on a 5-point ordinal scale (0-4) with 0 = no chin fat at all, 1 = a slight amount of chin fat, 2 = a moderate amount of chin fat, 3 = a large amount of chin fat, and 4 = a very large amount of chin fat.

Time frame: Baseline and 12 weeks after last treatment (up to 32 weeks after first treatment)

Population: Intent-to-treat (ITT) population; missing values were imputed using a multiple imputation process.

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
Deoxycholic Acid InjectionPercentage of Participants Who Achieved a Composite 1-grade Response70.0 percentage of participants
PlaceboPercentage of Participants Who Achieved a Composite 1-grade Response18.6 percentage of participants
Comparison: The primary analysis was satisfied if both null hypotheses (there is no treatment difference in 1-grade or 2-grade response rate) were rejected in favor of the two-tailed alternative at the 0.05 level of significance for both primary efficacy endpoints, and the response rates were higher for the deoxycholic acid injection treatment group than the placebo group. Because both hypotheses must be rejected, the type I error was preserved when testing the primary endpoints.p-value: <0.00195% CI: [2.808, 4.88]Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel
Primary

Percentage of Participants Who Achieved a Composite 2-grade Response

A composite 2-grade response is defined as at least a 2-grade improvement from Baseline on both the Clinician-Reported Submental Fat Rating Scale (CR-SMFRS) and Patient-Reported Submental Fat Rating Scale (PR-SMFRS) 12 weeks after the last treatment. The CR-SMFRS score is based on the investigator's clinical evaluation of the participant, where submental fullness is scored on a 5-point ordinal scale (0-4) with 0 = absent, 1 = mild, 2 = moderate, 3 = severe, and 4 = extreme. The PR-SMFRS is based on the participant's response to the question How much fat do you have under your chin right now? answered on a 5-point ordinal scale (0-4) with 0 = no chin fat at all, 1 = a slight amount of chin fat, 2 = a moderate amount of chin fat, 3 = a large amount of chin fat, and 4 = a very large amount of chin fat.

Time frame: Baseline and 12 weeks after last treatment (up to 32 weeks after first treatment)

Population: Intent-to-treat population; missing values were imputed using a multiple imputation process.

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
Deoxycholic Acid InjectionPercentage of Participants Who Achieved a Composite 2-grade Response13.4 percentage of participants
PlaceboPercentage of Participants Who Achieved a Composite 2-grade Response0.0 percentage of participants
Comparison: The primary analysis was satisfied if both null hypotheses (there is no treatment difference in 1-grade or 2-grade response rate) were rejected in favor of the two-tailed alternative at the 0.05 level of significance for both primary efficacy endpoints, and the response rates were higher for the deoxycholic acid injection treatment group than the placebo group. Because both hypotheses must be rejected, the type I error was preserved when testing the primary endpoints.p-value: <0.001Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel
Secondary

Change From Baseline in Patient-Reported Submental Fat Impact Scale (PR-SMFIS)

The PR-SMFIS assesses the impact of submental fat on self-perception of 6 emotional and visual characteristics related to the appearance of submental fullness (unhappy, bothered, self-conscious, embarrassed, look older, and look overweight) as evaluated by the participant. Each item is rated on an 11-point numeric scale from 0 to 10. Scores for the 6 items were averaged to generate a PR-SMFIS total scale score ranging from 0 to 10 where 0 is a positive outcome and 10 is a negative outcome. A negative change from Baseline indicates improvement.

Time frame: Baseline and 12 weeks after last treatment (up to 32 weeks after first treatment)

Population: Intent-to-treat population; missing values were imputed using a multiple imputation process.

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Deoxycholic Acid InjectionChange From Baseline in Patient-Reported Submental Fat Impact Scale (PR-SMFIS)-3.56 units on a scaleStandard Deviation 2.793
PlaceboChange From Baseline in Patient-Reported Submental Fat Impact Scale (PR-SMFIS)-1.16 units on a scaleStandard Deviation 2.064
Comparison: If both primary endpoints were statistically significant, testing continued to the 2 secondary endpoints using the Bonferroni-Holm method. The smaller of the 2 p-values for the treatment difference was tested at the 0.025 level. If significant, testing proceeded for the remaining secondary endpoint at the 0.05 level. If the smaller p-value was \> 0.025, the null hypothesis for the associated variable would not be rejected, and testing of the second endpoint would not proceed.p-value: <0.001ANCOVA
Secondary

Percentage of Participants With a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Response

An MRI responder is a participant who exhibited at least a 10% reduction in submental fat volume as measured by MRI from Baseline to 12 weeks after last treatment. Magnetic resonance imaging was evaluated in a subset of participants at selected centers.

Time frame: Baseline and 12 weeks after last treatment (up to 32 weeks after first treatment)

Population: The ITT-MRI population consisted of all randomized participants who participated in the MRI cohort and had evaluable Baseline MRI data. A multiple imputation process was used.

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
Deoxycholic Acid InjectionPercentage of Participants With a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Response46.3 percentage of participants
PlaceboPercentage of Participants With a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Response5.3 percentage of participants
Comparison: If both primary endpoints were statistically significant, testing continued to the 2 secondary endpoints using the Bonferroni-Holm method. The smaller of the 2 p-values for the treatment difference was tested at the 0.025 level. If significant, testing proceeded for the remaining secondary endpoint at the 0.05 level. If the smaller p-value was \> 0.025, the null hypothesis for the associated variable would not be rejected, and testing of the second endpoint would not proceed.p-value: <0.00195% CI: [3.62, 20.148]Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 21, 2026