Abstract
Different gonadotropin preparations containing FSH are used for ovarian controlled stimulation prior to IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The two most common forms used are urinary human menopausal gonadotropin (containing FSH and LH activity) and recombinant FSH (containing FSH without any LH activity). Owing to the relatively short half-life of all currently used FSH preparations (32 ± 12 h) clinical protocols for induction of multifollicular development in women stimulated for IVF require daily injections. Site-directed mutagenesis and gene transfer techniques were used to develop a longer acting gonadotrophin preparation. Corifollitropin-α (NV Organon, a part of the Schering-Plough Corporation, Oss, The Netherlands) was designed as a sustained follicle stimulant containing the α-subunit of human FSH and a hybrid subunit composed of the sequence of the α-subunit of human FSH and the C-terminal peptide part of the α-subunit of hCG. This molecular structure includes O-linked carbohydrate chains at the C-terminal peptide, which results in an increased terminal half-life in vivo compared with recombinant FSH. A number of studies demonstrated that the administration of corifollitropin-α is safe and well tolerated and does not result in antibody formation. A single injection of corifollitropin-α replaces the first seven injections of any FSH preparation in controlled ovarian stimulation, resulting in multifollicular development.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.