Comparison of Long-term Ambulatory Function in Patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Treated with Eteplirsen and Matched Natural History Controls.

BACKGROUND: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a rare, X-linked, fatal, degenerative neuromuscular disease caused by DMD gene mutations. A relationship between exon skipping and dystrophin production in exon 51-amenable patients treated with eteplirsen (EXONDYS 51®) is established. Once-weekly eteplirsen significantly increased dystrophin, with slower decline in ambulatory function compared to baseline. Long-term treatment with eteplirsen leads to accumulation of dystrophin over time and observed functional benefits in patients with DMD. OBJECTIVE: Compare long-term ambulatory function in eteplirsen-treated patients versus controls. METHODS: Study 201/202 included 12 eteplirsen-treated patients assessed twice/year for ambulatory function over 4 years. Ambulatory evaluations (6-minute walk test [6MWT], loss of ambulation, and North Star Ambulatory Assessment [NSAA]) were compared with matched controls from Italian Telethon and Leuven registries. RESULTS: At Years 3 and 4, eteplirsen-treated patients demonstrated markedly greater mean 6MWT than controls (difference in change from baseline of 132 m [95%CI (29, 235), p = 0.015] at Year 3 and 159 m [95%CI (66, 253), p = 0.002] at Year 4). At Year 4, a significantly greater proportion of eteplirsen-treated patients were still ambulant versus controls (10/12 vs 3/11; p = 0.020). At Year 3, eteplirsen-treated patients demonstrated milder NSAA decline versus controls (difference in change from baseline of 2.6, 95%CI [-6, 11]), however, the difference was not statistically significant; Year 4 control NSAA data were not available. CONCLUSION: In this retrospective matched control study, eteplirsen treatment resulted in attenuation of ambulatory decline over a 4-year observation period, supporting long-term benefit in patients with DMD.

Phase 0 trials: an industry perspective.

Worldwide, cancer is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. An increased understanding of the disease and its process has resulted in a multitude of new targeted therapies. The costs as well as time from drug discovery to market, however, remain staggeringly high and protracted, with the majority of compounds never reaching phase III. The concept of an exploratory or phase 0 trial was introduced as a mechanism to enhance and accelerate the overall process of new oncologic drug development. Performance of a phase 0 study allows researchers to better understand the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of compounds in human subjects before initiation of phase I trials. Data gleaned from a phase 0 trial are beneficial not only in prioritizing promising compounds but also in allowing the modification of phase I study design before initiation. To date, few researchers have taken advantage of the potential benefits of phase 0 trials. This review focuses on the purpose as well as the potential merits of phase 0 trials from the perspective of a pharmaceutical company. The review summarizes the experience of a team of researchers with ABT-888, a novel poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase agent that inhibits an enzyme critical for repairing damage to DNA, which is one of the first compounds to be investigated using the phase 0 clinical trial design.

Eteplirsen Treatment Attenuates Respiratory Decline in Ambulatory and Non-Ambulatory Patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

BACKGROUND: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients experience skeletal muscle degeneration, including respiratory muscles. Respiratory decline in glucocorticoid-treated DMD patients, measured by percent predicted forced vital capacity (FVC% p), is typically 5% annually in patients aged 10 to 18 years. OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the effects of eteplirsen on FVC% p annual change in 3 trials versus matched Cooperative International Neuromuscular Research Group Duchenne Natural History Study (CINRG DNHS) controls. METHODS: Eteplirsen studies 201/202 evaluated eligible ambulatory DMD patients for at least 4 years, study 204 evaluated primarily non-ambulatory DMD patients for 2 years, and ongoing study 301 is evaluating ambulatory DMD patients for 2 years (interim analysis is included). Eteplirsen-treated patients (n = 74) were amenable to exon 51 skipping and were receiving glucocorticoids. Three CINRG DNHS cohorts included: glucocorticoid-treated patients amenable to exon 51 skipping (Exon 51 CINRG DNHS; n = 20), all glucocorticoid-treated CINRG patients (All CINRG DNHS; n = 172), and all glucocorticoid-treated genotyped CINRG DNHS patients (Genotyped CINRG DNHS; n = 148). FVC% p assessments between ages 10 and <18 years were included for all patients; mixed-model analyses characterized FVC% p annual change. RESULTS: FVC% p annual change was greater for CINRG DNHS Exon 51 controls (- 6.00) versus patients in studies 201/202, study 204, and study 301 (- 2.19, P < 0.001; - 3.66, P 0.004; and - 3.79, P 0.017, respectively). FVC% p annual change in all eteplirsen studies suggested treatment benefit compared with the Genotyped CINRG DNHS (- 5.67) and All CINRG DNHS (- 5.56) cohorts (P < 0.05, all comparisons). CONCLUSIONS: Significant, clinically meaningful attenuation of FVC%p decline was observed in eteplirsen-treated patients versus CINRG DNHS controls.

Long-term treatment with eteplirsen in nonambulatory patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

This analysis aims to describe the outcomes of two nonambulatory patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) who participated in two clinical studies. The two consecutive trials of eteplirsen (studies 201 and 202) were conducted in patients with DMD (N = 12) and confirmed genetic mutations amenable to exon 51 skipping.In study 201, 12 patients were randomized to receive once-weekly, double-blind intravenous infusions of eteplirsen 30 or 50 mg/kg or placebo for 24 weeks; patients then received open-label eteplirsen during weeks 25 through 28. All 12 patients continued onto open-label extension study 202 and received long-term treatment with eteplirsen. We compared cardiac, pulmonary, and upper limb function and dystrophin production in the nonambulatory twin patients versus the 10 ambulatory patients through 240 combined treatment weeks.Ten study patients remained ambulatory through both studies, while the identical twin patients both experienced early, rapid loss of ambulation. The twin patients had greater disease severity at baseline (6-minute walk test [6MWT], 330 and 256 m) versus the other patients (n = 10; 6MWT range, 341-418 m). They maintained cardiac and upper limb function through combined week 240, with outcomes similar to those of the patients who remained ambulatory. Dystrophin production was confirmed following eteplirsen treatment.Despite the loss of ambulation, other markers of disease progression remained relatively stable in the eteplirsen-treated twin patients and were similar to those of the ambulatory patients.

Phase 0 clinical trial of the poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor ABT-888 in patients with advanced malignancies.

PURPOSE: We conducted the first phase 0 clinical trial in oncology of a therapeutic agent under the Exploratory Investigational New Drug Guidance of the US Food and Drug Administration. It was a first-in-human study of the poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor ABT-888 in patients with advanced malignancies. PATIENTS AND METHODS: ABT-888 was administered as a single oral dose of 10, 25, or 50 mg to determine the dose range and time course over which ABT-888 inhibits PARP activity in tumor samples and peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and to evaluate ABT-888 pharmacokinetics. Blood samples and tumor biopsies were obtained pre- and postdrug administration for evaluation of PARP activity and pharmacokinetics. A novel statistical approach was developed and utilized to study pharmacodynamic modulation as the primary end point for trials of limited sample size. RESULTS: Thirteen patients with advanced malignancies received the study drug; nine patients underwent paired tumor biopsies. ABT-888 demonstrated good oral bioavailability and was well tolerated. Statistically significant inhibition of poly (ADP-ribose) levels was observed in tumor biopsies and peripheral blood mononuclear cells at the 25-mg and 50-mg dose levels. CONCLUSION: Within 5 months of study activation, we obtained pivotal biochemical and pharmacokinetic data that have guided the design of subsequent phase I trials of ABT-888 in combination with DNA-damaging agents. In addition to accelerating the development of ABT-888, the rapid conclusion of this trial demonstrates the feasibility of conducting proof-of-principle phase 0 trials as part of an alternative paradigm for early drug development in oncology.