Is there a place for corifollitropin alfa in IVF/ICSI cycles? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: To evaluate the role of corifollitropin alfa, a newly developed weekly administrated long-acting recombinant FSH (rFSH), as an alternative for daily rFSH administration in women undergoing controlled ovarian stimulation in GnRH antagonist down-regulated in vitro fertilization (IVF)/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment cycles. Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Setting: University and private centers. Patient(s): Infertile women undergoing IVF/ICSI treatment. Intervention(s): Comparing long-acting rFSH corifollitropin alfa versus standard daily administrated rFSH in GnRH antagonist IVF/ICSI cycles. Main Outcome Measure(s): Ongoing pregnancy rate, live birth rate, clinical pregnancy rate, miscarriage rate, duration of stimulation, amount of FSH, number of retrieved oocytes, number of mature oocytes, number of embryos obtained, fertilization rate, ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) incidence, and adverse events. Searches (of literature through November 2011) were conducted in Medline, Embase, Science Direct, the Cochrane Library, and databases of abstracts. Result(s): Four randomized trials involving 2,326 women were included. There was no evidence of a statistically significant difference in ongoing pregnancy rate for corifollitropin alfa versus rFSH. There was evidence of increased ovarian response and risk of OHSS in corifollitropin alfa. Conclusion(s): In view of its equivalence and safety profile, corifollitropin alfa in combination with daily GnRH antagonist seems to be an alternative for daily rFSH injections in normal responder patients undergoing ovarian stimulation in IVF/ICSI treatment cycles. (Fertil Steril (R) 2012;97:876-85. (C)2012 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.)