Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has presented the first patient and caregiver reported experiences from qualitative interviews following the completion of a Phase 2 trial that evaluated treatment with setmelanotide in hypothalamic obesity (HO).

These results were among six Rhythm presentations at the Endocrine Society Annual Meeting & Expo (ENDO 2024) being held June 1-4 in Boston.

“We continue to advance what we believe to be the most comprehensive clinical research program ever initiated for the treatment of hyperphagia and severe obesity associated with rare melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) pathway diseases,” said David Meeker, MD, Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer of Rhythm.

“For the first time, we presented patient and caregiver reported results showing that setmelanotide therapy in patients with hypothalamic obesity was associated with meaningful improvements in their lives beyond clinical outcomes and reductions in body mass index (BMI),” Meeker added.

Christian Roth, MD, Seattle Children’s Research Institute and Division of Endocrinology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, presented, “Patient- and Caregiver-reported Experiences of Hunger, Weight and Energy in Acquired Hypothalamic Obesity Before and During Setmelanotide Therapy.”

In qualitative interviews before setmelanotide therapy, five participants (three patients, two caregivers) all reported experiencing substantial weight gain, unrelenting hunger, drastically reduced energy or physical activity, and interrupted nighttime sleep, primarily due to hunger associated with acquired hypothalamic obesity. In their experiences following initiation of setmelanotide therapy, all study participants reported improved energy and ability and desire to be more active, and four of five participants reported reductions in hunger, positive changes in eating behavior and improvements in sleep.