What is "pasireotide"

n. An orphan drug used to treat Cushing's disease.

Pasireotide (SOM230, trade name Signifor) is an orphan drug approved in the U.S. and Europe for the treatment of Cushing's disease and acromegaly in patients who fail or are ineligible for surgical therapy. It was developed by Novartis. Pasireotide is a somatostatin analog with a 40-fold increased affinity to somatostatin receptor 5 compared to other somatostatin analogs.

Pasireotide was approved for Cushing's disease by the EMEA in October 2009 and by the FDA in December 2012.

Pasireotide LAR was approved by the FDA for treatment of acromegaly in December 2014, and had been approved for this indication by the EMEA one month earlier.