A Randomized, Double-blind, Phase 3 Study of Fospropofol Disodium for Sedation During Colonoscopy

Goals: This double-blind, multicenter study evaluated the safety and efficacy of intravenous fospropofol (6.5 mg/kg vs. 2 mg/kg) for moderate sedation in patients undergoing colonoscopy. Methods: In all, 314 patients >= 18 years (American Society of Anesthesiologists PS1 to PS3) were randomized to receive fospropofol 2 mg/kg, fospropofol 6.5-mg/kg, or midazolam 0.02 mg/kg, after pretreatment with intravenous fentanyl 50 mcg. Supplemental doses of study medication were permitted to achieve a Modified Observer's Assessment of Alertness/Sedation scale score <= 4 and to enable the investigator to begin a procedure. The study end points included sedation success, recovery, memory retention, physician satisfaction, and safety. Results: Sedation success was higher in the fospropofol 6.5 mg/kg versus 2 mg/kg group (87% vs. 26%; P<0.001) and was 69% in the midazolam group. Patients in the 6.5-mg/kg group were significantly less likely to remember being awake during the procedure (51% vs. 100% in the 2-mg/kg group, P<0.001; 60% for the midazolam group). Patients in the fospropofol groups had similar memory retention (70% and 82% for the 6.5 mg/kg and 2 mg/kg groups, respectively) compared with 41% for the midazolam group. Mean physician satisfaction scores were higher in the fospropofol 6.5-mg/kg group (7.7) than the 2-mg/kg group (4.5), P<0.001. Most adverse events were mild to moderate in intensity; the most common treatment-related adverse events were paresthesias (68% vs. 60%) and pruritus (16% vs. 26%) in the fospropofol 6.5 and 2 mg/kg groups, respectively. Conclusions: The fospropofol 6.5-mg/kg dosing regimen was well tolerated and effective for sedation during colonoscopy and was associated with higher rates of sedation success, memory retention, and physician satisfaction than the fospropofol 2-mg/kg dose.