Effect of icatibant on angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor-induced angioedema: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

What is known and objective Angioedema (AE) caused by angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) requires prompt and appropriate management, but current treatment options are limited to symptomatic treatment. Icatibant is a bradykinin receptor antagonist approved for hereditary AE treatment. Some recent studies showed a potential role for icatibant on ACEI-induced AE while others have shown no promising effect. This meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted to provide evidence for the use of icatibant in the treatment of ACEI-induced AE. Methods Relevant RCTs that examined the effects of icatibant for ACEI-induced AE were retrieved from EMBASE, PubMed and Cochrane Library (Central). Included articles for the meta-analysis were assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. For meta-analysis, the pooled mean differences (MD) with 95% CIs and the pooled relative risk (RR) with 95% CIs were calculated using RevMan 5.3. The systematic review was performed in accordance with the PRISMA statement. Results and discussion A total of 234 records were identified after searching the databases. In total, three RCTs involving 179 patients were included in the meta-analysis. The three RCTs had a low risk of bias and the characteristics of the participants and the outcome measures were similar among the RCTs. Treatment with icatibant shortened the time to achieve complete resolution of ACEI-induced AE symptoms compared to placebo or conventional treatments. However, the difference was not statistically significant (MD: -7.77 hours; 95% CI: -25.18-9.63 hours). There were no differences between groups in terms of drug-related adverse effects, apart from the reactions at the site of injection (RR: 1.35; 95% CI: 0.53-3.45). What is new and conclusion This meta-analysis evaluated the effectiveness and tolerability of icatibant therapy for ACEI-induced AE, but the benefit of icatibant therapy over placebo or conventional treatment strategies could not be shown.