Safety and Efficacy of Apitegromab in Patients With Spinal Muscular Atrophy Types 2 and 3: The Phase 2 TOPAZ Study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Currently approved therapies for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) reverse the degenerative course, leading to better functional outcome, but they do not address the impairment arising from preexisting neurodegeneration. Apitegromab, an investigational, fully human monoclonal antibody, inhibits activation of myostatin (a negative regulator of skeletal muscle growth), thereby preserving muscle mass. The phase 2 TOPAZ trial assessed the safety and efficacy of apitegromab in individuals with later-onset type 2 and type 3 SMA. METHODS: In this study, designed to investigate potential meaningful combinations of eligibility and treatment regimen for future studies, participants aged 2-21 years received IV apitegromab infusions every 4 weeks for 12 months in 1 of 3 cohorts. Cohort 1 stratified ambulatory participants aged 5-21 years into 2 arms (apitegromab 20 mg/kg alone or in combination with nusinersen); cohort 2 evaluated apitegromab 20 mg/kg combined with nusinersen in nonambulatory participants aged 5-21 years; and cohort 3 blindly evaluated 2 randomized apitegromab doses (2 and 20 mg/kg) combined with nusinersen in younger participants ≥2 years of age. The primary efficacy measure was mean change from baseline using the Hammersmith Functional Motor Scale version appropriate for each cohort. Data were analyzed using a paired t test with 2-sided 5% type 1 error for the mean change from baseline for predefined cohort-specific primary efficacy end points. RESULTS: Fifty-eight participants (mean age 9.4 years) were enrolled at 16 trial sites in the United States and Europe. Participants had been treated with nusinersen for a mean of 25.9 months before enrollment in any of the 3 trial cohorts. At month 12, the mean change from baseline in Hammersmith scale score was -0.3 points (95% CI -2.1 to 1.4) in cohort 1 (n = 23), 0.6 points (-1.4 to 2.7) in cohort 2 (n = 15), and in cohort 3 (n = 20), the mean scores were 5.3 (-1.5 to 12.2) and 7.1 (1.8 to 12.5) for the 2-mg/kg (n = 8) and 20-mg/kg (n = 9) arms, respectively. The 5 most frequently reported treatment-emergent adverse events were headache (24.1%), pyrexia (22.4%), upper respiratory tract infection (22.4%), cough (22.4%), and nasopharyngitis (20.7%). No deaths or serious adverse reactions were reported. DISCUSSION: Apitegromab led to improved motor function in participants with later-onset types 2 and 3 SMA. These results support a randomized, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial of apitegromab in participants with SMA. TRIAL REGISTRATION INFORMATION: This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03921528). CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class III evidence that apitegromab improves motor function in later-onset types 2 and 3 spinal muscular atrophy.

Safety and efficacy of pioglitazone for the delay of cognitive impairment in people at risk of Alzheimer's disease (TOMMORROW): a prognostic biomarker study and a phase 3, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The identification of people at risk of cognitive impairment is essential for improving recruitment in secondary prevention trials of Alzheimer's disease. We aimed to test and qualify a biomarker risk assignment algorithm (BRAA) to identify participants at risk of developing mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease within 5 years, and to evaluate the safety and efficacy of low-dose pioglitazone to delay onset of mild cognitive impairment in these at-risk participants. METHODS: In this phase 3, multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study, we enrolled cognitively healthy, community living participants aged 65-83 years from 57 academic affiliated and private research clinics in Australia, Germany, Switzerland, the UK, and the USA. By use of the BRAA, participants were grouped as high risk or low risk. Participants at high risk were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive oral pioglitazone (0·8 mg/day sustained release) or placebo, and all low-risk participants received placebo. Study investigators, site staff, sponsor personnel, and study participants were masked to genotype, risk assignment, and treatment assignment. The planned study duration was the time to accumulate 202 events of mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease in White participants who were at high risk (the population on whom the genetic analyses that informed the BRAA development was done). Primary endpoints were time-to-event comparisons between participants at high risk and low risk given placebo (for the BRAA objective), and between participants at high risk given pioglitazone or placebo (for the efficacy objective). The primary analysis included all participants who were randomly assigned, received at least one dose of study drug, and had at least one valid post-baseline visit, with significance set at p=0·01. The safety analysis included all participants who were randomly assigned and received at least one dose of study medication. An efficacy futility analysis was planned for when approximately 33% of the anticipated events occurred in the high-risk, White, non-Hispanic or Latino group. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01931566. FINDINGS: Between Aug 28, 2013, and Dec 21, 2015, we enrolled 3494 participants (3061 at high risk and 433 at low risk). Of those participants, 1545 were randomly assigned to pioglitazone and 1516 to placebo. 1104 participants discontinued treatment (464 assigned to the pioglitazone group, 501 in the placebo high risk group, and 139 in the placebo low risk group). 3399 participants had at least one dose of study drug or placebo and at least one post-baseline follow-up visit, and were included in the efficacy analysis. 3465 participants were included in the safety analysis (1531 assigned to the pioglitazone group, 1507 in the placebo high risk group, and 427 in the placebo low risk group). In the full analysis set, 46 (3·3%) of 1406 participants at high risk given placebo had mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease, versus four (1·0%) of 402 participants at low risk given placebo (hazard ratio 3·26, 99% CI 0·85-12·45; p=0·023). 39 (2·7%) of 1430 participants at high risk given pioglitazone had mild cognitive impairment, versus 46 (3·3%) of 1406 participants at high risk given placebo (hazard ratio 0·80, 99% CI 0·45-1·40; p=0·307). In the safety analysis set, seven (0·5%) of 1531 participants at high risk given pioglitazone died versus 21 (1·4%) of 1507 participants at high risk given placebo. There were no other notable differences in adverse events between groups. The study was terminated in January, 2018, after failing to meet the non-futility threshold. INTERPRETATION: Pioglitazone did not delay the onset of mild cognitive impairment. The biomarker algorithm demonstrated a 3 times enrichment of events in the high risk placebo group compared with the low risk placebo group, but did not reach the pre-specified significance threshold. Because we did not complete the study as planned, findings can only be considered exploratory. The conduct of this study could prove useful to future clinical development strategies for Alzheimer's disease prevention studies. FUNDING: Takeda and Zinfandel.

The TOMMORROW study: Design of an Alzheimer's disease delay-of-onset clinical trial.

INTRODUCTION: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a continuum with neuropathologies manifesting years before clinical symptoms; thus, AD research is attempting to identify more disease-modifying approaches to test treatments administered before full disease expression. Designing such trials in cognitively normal elderly individuals poses unique challenges. METHODS: The TOMMORROW study was a phase 3 double-blind, parallel-group study designed to support qualification of a novel genetic biomarker risk assignment algorithm (BRAA) and to assess efficacy and safety of low-dose pioglitazone to delay onset of mild cognitive impairment due to AD. Eligible participants were stratified based on the BRAA (using TOMM40 rs 10524523 genotype, Apolipoprotein E genotype, and age), with high-risk individuals receiving low-dose pioglitazone or placebo and low-risk individuals receiving placebo. The primary endpoint was time to the event of mild cognitive impairment due to AD. The primary objectives were to compare the primary endpoint between high- and low-risk placebo groups (for BRAA qualification) and between high-risk pioglitazone and high-risk placebo groups (for pioglitazone efficacy). Approximately 300 individuals were also asked to participate in a volumetric magnetic resonance imaging substudy at selected sites. RESULTS: The focus of this paper is on the design of the study; study results will be presented in a separate paper. DISCUSSION: The design of the TOMMORROW study addressed many key challenges to conducting a dual-objective phase 3 pivotal AD clinical trial in presymptomatic individuals. Experiences from planning and executing the TOMMORROW study may benefit future AD prevention/delay-of-onset trials.

TOMMORROW neuropsychological battery: German language validation and normative study.

INTRODUCTION: Assessment of preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD) requires reliable and validated methods to detect subtle cognitive changes. The battery of standardized cognitive assessments that is used for diagnostic criteria for mild cognitive impairment due to AD in the TOMMORROW study have only been fully validated in English-speaking countries. We conducted a validation and normative study of the German language version of the TOMMORROW neuropsychological test battery, which tests episodic memory, language, visuospatial ability, executive function, and attention. METHODS: German-speaking cognitively healthy controls (NCs) and subjects with AD were recruited from a memory clinic at a Swiss medical center. Construct validity, test-retest, and alternate form reliability were assessed in NCs. Criterion and discriminant validities of the cognitive measures were tested using logistic regression and discriminant analysis. Cross-cultural equivalency of performance of the German language tests was compared with English language tests. RESULTS: A total of 198 NCs and 25 subjects with AD (aged 65-88 years) were analyzed. All German language tests discriminated NCs from persons with AD. Episodic memory tests had the highest potential to discriminate with almost twice the predictive power of any other domain. Test-retest reliability of the test battery was adequate, and alternate form reliability for episodic memory tests was supported. For most tests, age was a significant predictor of group effect sizes; therefore, normative data were stratified by age. Validity and reliability results were similar to those in the published US cognitive testing literature. DISCUSSION: This study establishes the reliability and validity of the German language TOMMORROW test battery, which performed similarly to the English language tests. Some variations in test performance underscore the importance of regional normative values. The German language battery and normative data will improve the precision of measuring cognition and diagnosing incident mild cognitive impairment due to AD in clinical settings in German-speaking countries.

Peginesatide to Manage Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients on Peritoneal Dialysis.

UNLABELLED: ♦ BACKGROUND: Peginesatide is a novel, synthetic, peptide-based pegylated erythropoiesis-stimulating agent that is designed specifically to stimulate the erythropoietin receptor. The purpose of the present study was to assess, for the first time, the efficacy and safety of peginesatide in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients receiving peritoneal dialysis (PD) and previously on epoetin treatment. ♦ METHODS: In this open-label multicenter study, 59 PD patients with CKD were converted from epoetin (alfa or beta) to once-monthly peginesatide. Doses were titrated to maintain hemoglobin levels between 10 g/dL and 12 g/dL during the 25 weeks of the study. The primary endpoint was change from baseline in mean hemoglobin values during the evaluation period (weeks 20 - 25). ♦ RESULTS: The mean hemoglobin value during the evaluation period was 11.3 ± 1.07 g/dL, and the mean change from baseline was 0.10 ± 1.15 g/dL (95% confidence limits: -0.24, 0.44 g/dL). During the evaluation period, most patients maintained hemoglobin levels between 10 g/dL and 12 g/dL (63.0%) and within ±1.0 g/dL of baseline (60.9%). The median weekly epoetin dose at baseline was 96.0 U/kg, and the median starting peginesatide dose was 0.047 mg/kg. Forty-three patients (72.9%) completed the study. Six patients (10.2%) received red blood cell transfusions. The observed adverse event profile was consistent with underlying conditions in the PD patient population. The most common adverse event was peritonitis (20.3%), a complication commonly associated with PD. Four deaths occurred during the study (2 related to septic shock, and 1 each to myocardial ischemia and myasthenia gravis). ♦ CONCLUSIONS: In this study, once-monthly peginesatide maintained hemoglobin levels in PD patients after conversion from epoetin.

Peginesatide for maintenance treatment of anemia in hemodialysis and nondialysis patients previously treated with darbepoetin alfa.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Peginesatide (Omontys) is a novel, synthetic, PEGylated, peptide-based erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) that is designed to specifically stimulate the erythropoietin receptor. This study evaluated maintenance of hemoglobin levels in patients after conversion from darbepoetin alfa to once-monthly peginesatide. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: This open-label, multicenter study included 101 CKD patients, 52 of whom were receiving dialysis. The duration of the study was 24 weeks. The primary endpoint was the mean change in hemoglobin from baseline to the evaluation period (weeks 19-24). The study was conducted during the period from September 22, 2008 to December 24, 2009. RESULTS: The mean change among hemodialysis patients was -0.42 g/dl (95% confidence interval, -0.65 to -0.19) and the mean change among CKD nondialysis patients was 0.49 g/dl (95% confidence interval, 0.26-0.71). The percentages of patients who maintained hemoglobin levels within ±1.0 g/dl of baseline values were as follows: 80.0% for hemodialysis and 68.1% for nondialysis, and73.3% for hemodialysis and 68.1% for nondialysis within the target range of 10.0-12.0 g/dl. Few patients received red blood cell transfusions (hemodialysis, 5.8%; nondialysis, 2.0%). Seventy-nine patients experienced adverse events, the majority of which were mild or moderate in severity. There were 40 serious adverse events and 2 deaths reported. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, once-monthly peginesatide resulted in a slight decrease in mean hemoglobin levels in individuals on hemodialysis and a small increase in individuals with CKD who were not on dialysis.

Maintenance of heartburn relief after step-down from twice-daily proton pump inhibitor to once-daily dexlansoprazole modified release.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Many patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) take a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) twice daily to control symptoms. Once-daily dexlansoprazole modified release (MR) has a dual-delayed release formulation, making it attractive for step-down management of patients whose symptoms are well controlled on twice-daily PPIs. We investigated whether step-down to once-daily dexlansoprazole controls heartburn in patients with GERD who were receiving twice-daily PPI therapy. METHODS: Patients 18 years and older taking a twice-daily PPI for symptom control were enrolled (n = 178) in a single-blind, multicenter study; 163 patients completed the study and 142 patients met criteria for the efficacy analysis. During the 6-week screening and treatment periods, patients recorded the presence of heartburn symptoms twice daily in electronic diaries. Patients' heartburn was considered well controlled if they had an average of 1 symptom or fewer per week during the last 4 weeks of screening and treatment. After screening, qualified patients were switched to masked dexlansoprazole MR 30 mg and placebo for 6 weeks. The primary efficacy end point was the proportion of patients whose heartburn remained well controlled after step-down. GERD-related symptoms and quality of life (QOL) also were evaluated using the Patient Assessment of Upper Gastrointestinal Disorders Symptom Severity Index (PAGI-SYM) and the PAGI-QOL questionnaires, respectively. RESULTS: After step-down to once-daily dexlansoprazole MR 30 mg, heartburn remained well controlled in 88% of patients (125 of 142). These patients were able to maintain their GERD-related symptom severity and QOL, indicated by marginal changes in the PAGI-SYM and PAGI-QOL total and subscale scores, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Most patients with GERD who take twice-daily PPI to control heartburn are able to successfully step down to once-daily dexlansoprazole 30 mg.