CiRA iPSC seed stocks (CiRA's iPSC Stock Project).

In Japan, induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) Stock Project has started from 2013. The goal of the Project is to manufacture and release clinical-grade HLA homozygous iPSC lines that can cover almost the entire of Japanese population. We show the summary of the cell lines distributed, test results for quality control and future plans.

Population/regional differences in efficacy of 3 drug categories (antidiabetic, respiratory and psychotropic agents) among East Asians: A retrospective study based on multiregional clinical trials.

AIMS: This study aimed to identify population/regional differences in drug efficacy and the influencing factors among East Asians to be considered when planning multiregional clinical trials (MRCTs) to facilitate rapid drug approval in Asians. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of efficacy (intergroup difference in endpoint between control and study drug treatment) among East Asian populations for 3 drug categories, antidiabetic, respiratory and psychotropic agents, was conducted in collaboration with pharmaceutical companies using their MRCT data. Common endpoints by drug category were selected; background factors that commonly affected the endpoints among regions were analysed first; then the population/regional differences were evaluated by the interaction term region-by-treatment using an analysis of covariance model after adjusting for background factors. RESULTS: Among 17 endpoints for eight pharmaceutical products from 3 drug categories, no substantial population/regional differences were detected in the 3 drug categories examined (P > .05), except for haemoglobin A1c change between Japan and Korea for an antidiabetic drug, insulin glulisine (P = .0068). However, no such regional differences were evident in patients with clinically important higher haemoglobin A1c baseline values (majority subgroup). Variability in disease severity at baseline and concomitant drugs were determined to be potential influencing factors for regional differences. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the regional variability in efficacy of these 3 drug categories is not large among East Asians, and reveals the importance of considering background factors when planning MRCTs. Further studies are needed to evaluate regional variability in the efficacy of other drug categories and clarify the factors leading to regional differences in East Asians.

Quality control guidelines for clinical-grade human induced pluripotent stem cell lines.

Use of clinical-grade human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines as a starting material for the generation of cellular therapeutics requires demonstration of comparability of lines derived from different individuals and in different facilities. This requires agreement on the critical quality attributes of such lines and the assays that should be used. Working from established recommendations and guidance from the International Stem Cell Banking Initiative for human embryonic stem cell banking, and concentrating on those issues more relevant to iPSCs, a series of consensus workshops has made initial recommendations on the minimum dataset required to consider an iPSC line of clinical grade, which are outlined in this report. Continued evolution of this field will likely lead to revision of these guidelines on a regular basis.

Report of the international conference on manufacturing and testing of pluripotent stem cells.

Sessions included an overview of past cell therapy (CT) conferences sponsored by the International Alliance for Biological Standardization (IABS). The sessions highlighted challenges in the field of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) and also addressed specific points on manufacturing, bioanalytics and comparability, tumorigenicity testing, storage, and shipping. Panel discussions complemented the presentations. The conference concluded that a range of new standardization groups is emerging that could help the field, but ways must be found to ensure that these efforts are coordinated. In addition, there are opportunities for regulatory convergence starting with a gap analysis of existing guidelines to determine what might be missing and what issues might be creating divergence. More specific global regulatory guidance, preferably from WHO, would be welcome. IABS and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) will explore with stakeholders the development of a practical and innovative road map to support early CT product (CTP) developers.

[Present and Future of an iPS Cell Stock for Regenerative Medicine].

A haplobank of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines derived from healthy donors with homozygous human leukocyte antigen(HLA), which is called "an iPSC stock", has been under construction in Japan. The iPSC stock is expected to enable HLA matching of a majority of recipients and reduce the risk of trans- plant rejection. Full-scale operations began in FY2013, with the aim of covering 30-50% of the Japanese population by FY2017 and most of the population by FY2022 with the iPSC stock. A novel feeder-free and xeno-free culture system for iPSCs was developed to comply with regulatory safety standards. In 2015, a clinical-grade iPSC line with homozygous HLA of the highest-frequency haplotype was released as a first in the world. Other clinical-grade lines are being generated successively. If all goes to plan, the first clinical research using the iPSC stock will start in 2017. However, many challenges remain to ensuring the future of iPSC stock. In accordance with the progress of the latest research, safety issues regarding iPSC-based cell therapy are being monitored with much interest, and one of the major concerns is tumorigenicity. We have to continue to discuss the extent of genomic abnormalities that would or would not be acceptable in not only iPSC-derived products but also iPSC stock, taking into account the risks and benefits of cell therapy. It is also necessary to demonstrate the clinical efficacy of HLA matching, which is indicated to promote graft survival and reduce immunosuppressive drug use.

Impact of Japanese regulatory action on metformin-associated lactic acidosis in type II diabetes patients.

BACKGROUND: The March 2012 regulatory action issued by the Japanese government signalled the rare but serious complication of lactic acidosis that can occur during metformin treatment, especially with the high dose formulation, h-metformin, and in those above 75 years old. OBJECTIVE: To assess quantitatively the impact of this regulatory action on patient management using a medical information database (MID). SETTING: Eight hospitals in Japan. METHOD: Using a commercial MID, we collected data on adult outpatients treated with metformin, including h-metformin, during a 2-year study period between April 1, 2011 and March 31, 2013. The 2-year study period spanned 1 year before and after the regulatory action. The frequencies of lactate measurement in all metformin users, h-metformin users, and new users (started on metformin during the study period) were compared between the periods before and after the regulatory action, using generalized estimating equations. Trends in metformin prescription for elderly patients were analysed month-wise by regression analysis using an interrupted time series design. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The rate ratios (RR) of lactate testing before and after the regulatory action. RESULTS: Of 4347 metformin users, 784 patients were >75 years old. A significant increase in lactate measurement was observed after the regulatory action than before in the overall study population, with an adjusted RR of 2.14 (95 % confidence interval 1.24-3.68). No significant change was found in h-metformin users and new users because lactate measurements were being performed as frequently in these subgroups before the regulatory action. There were no meaningful changes in the proportion of elderly metformin users in the overall population. CONCLUSION: The regulatory action led to increased lactate measurement in the overall metformin users, but did not affect metformin prescription rate in the elderly patients. Our findings probably reflect the doctors' judgement that the benefits of metformin use outweigh the risk of lactic acidosis if lactate testing is performed regularly.

A detection algorithm for drug-induced liver injury in medical information databases using the Japanese diagnostic scale and its comparison with the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences/the Roussel Uclaf Causality Assessment Method scale.

PURPOSE: Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is one of the primary targets for pharmacovigilance using medical information databases (MIDs). Because of diagnostic complexity, a standardized method for identifying DILI using MIDs has not yet been established. We applied the Digestive Disease Week Japan 2004 (DDW-J) scale, a Japanese clinical diagnostic criteria for DILI, to a DILI detection algorithm, and compared it with the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences/the Roussel Uclaf Causality Assessment Method (CIOMS/RUCAM) scale to confirm its consistency. Characteristics of DILI cases identified by the DDW-J algorithm were examined in two Japanese MIDs. METHODS: Using an MID from the Hamamatsu University Hospital, we constructed a DILI detection algorithm on the basis of the DDW-J scale. We then compared the findings between the DDW-J and CIOMS/RUCAM scales. We examined the characteristics of DILI after antibiotic treatment in the Hamamatsu population and a second population that included data from 124 hospitals, which was derived from an MID from the Medical Data Vision Co., Ltd. We performed a multivariate logistic regression analysis to assess the possible DILI risk factors. RESULTS: The concordance rate was 79.4% between DILI patients identified by the DDW-J and CIOMS/RUCAM; the Spearman rank correlation coefficient was 0.952 (P < 0.0001). Men showed a significantly higher risk for DILI after antibiotic treatments in both MID populations. CONCLUSIONS: The DDW-J and CIOMS/RUCAM algorithms were equivalent for identifying the DILI cases, confirming the utility of our DILI detection method using MIDs. This study provides evidence supporting the use of MID analyses to improve pharmacovigilance.

[Trends in drug-induced liver injury based on reports of adverse reactions to PMDA in Japan].

Reports on drug-related adverse reactions from manufacturing/distributing pharmaceutical companies or medical institutions/pharmacies are regulated under the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law of Japan, and this system is important for post-marketing safety measures. Although association between the medicine and the adverse event has not been clearly evaluated, and an incidence may be redundantly reported, this information would be useful to roughly grasp the current status of drug-related adverse reactions. In the present study, we analyzed the incidence of drug-induced liver injury by screening the open-source data publicized by the homepage of Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Agency from 2005 to 2011 fiscal years. Major drug-classes suspected to cause general drug-induced liver injury were antineoplastics, anti-inflammatory agents/common cold drugs, chemotherapeutics including antituberculous drugs, antidiabetics, antiulcers and antiepileptics. In addition, reported cases for fulminant hepatitis were also summarized. We found that antituberculous isoniazid and antineoplastic tegafur-uracil were the top two suspected drugs. These results might deepen understanding of current situations for the drug-induced liver injury in Japan.

No major difference in inhibitory susceptibility between CYP2C9.1 and CYP2C9.3.

OBJECTIVE: CYP2C9 is a polymorphic enzyme, and CYP2C9*3 is associated with decreased metabolic activity. In addition to the impaired metabolism, we investigated whether the CYP2C9*3 exhibited altered inhibitory susceptibility compared with CYP2C9*1. METHOD: In the present study, CYP2C9.1 and CYP2C9.3 were expressed in yeast. Using typical CYP2C9 substrates (diclofenac, tolbutamide and S-warfarin) and a potent CYP2C9 inhibitor (nicardipine), the Ki values for nicardipine on the three metabolisms in CYP2C9*1 and CYP2C9*3 were determined. RESULT: The ratios of Ki(CYP2C9*3)/Ki(CYP2C9*1) on tolbutamide, diclofenac and S-warfarin metabolisms were 1.2, 3.1 and 0.8, respectively. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, there are no significant differences in the inhibitory susceptibility between the two CYP2C9 enzymes.