A randomized, controlled, open label non-inferiority trial of intravenous ferric carboxymaltose versus iron sucrose in patients with iron deficiency anemia in China.

Iron deficiency (ID) and ID anemia (IDA) pose significant public health concerns in China. Although iron sucrose (IS) treatment is well-established in the country, ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) offers the advantage of higher doses and fewer infusions. This open label, randomized, controlled, non-inferiority trial was conducted at multiple sites in China to compare the outcomes of FCM (maximum of 2 doses, 500 or 1000 mg iron) and IS (up to 11 infusions, 200 mg iron) treatments in subjects with IDA. The primary endpoint was the achievement of hemoglobin (Hb) response (an increase of ⩾2 g/dL from baseline) within 8 weeks, whereas secondary endpoints included changes in Hb, transferrin saturation, and serum ferritin levels. Among the 371 randomized subjects, a similar percentage of subjects treated with FCM and IS achieved Hb-response (FCM 99.4%, IS 98.3%), thereby confirming the non-inferiority of FCM compared with IS (difference 1.12 (-2.15, 4.71; 95% confidence interval (CI))). Furthermore, a significantly higher proportion of FCM-treated subjects achieved early Hb-response at Week 2 (FCM 85.2%, IS 73.2%; difference 12.1 (3.31, 20.65; 95% CI)). Additionally, the increase in TSAT and serum ferritin levels from baseline was significantly greater at all time points for FCM-treated subjects. The safety profiles of FCM and IS were comparable, with the exception of transient hypophosphatemia and pyrexia, which are consistent with FCM's known safety profile. In conclusion, FCM proves to be an efficacious treatment for IDA, providing faster Hb-response and correction of ID with fewer administrations than IS.

Bioequivalence of canakinumab liquid pre-filled syringe and reconstituted lyophilized formulations following 150 mg subcutaneous administration: a randomized study in healthy subjects.

BACKGROUND: Canakinumab is a human anti-interleukin-1beta antibody approved for the treatment of cryopyrin associated periodic syndrome currently formulated as a lyophilized powder requiring reconstitution. A new formulation (solution for injection as pre-filled syringe) has been developed to avoid reconstitution. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the bioequivalence of pre-filled syringe and reconstituted formulations following 150 mg administration in healthy subjects. METHODS: This was an open-labeled, randomized, single dose, parallel-group study in 130 healthy subjects, followed for 120 days. Subjects received a single subcutaneous injection of 150 mg canakinumab after either reconstitution or in pre-filled syringe formulation, followed by pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics evaluations and safety assessments. The main outcome measure for the study was the pharmacokinetic bioequivalence of the two formulations, which was concluded if the 90% confidence intervals for the ratios of AUC(last) (area under the serum concentration-time curve from time zero to time of last measurable concentration) and C(max) (maximum serum concentration) were entirely contained within the interval, 0.80-1.25. RESULTS: The arithmetic mean values for the exposure parameters C(max) and AUC(last) were similar for the two formulations. The geometric mean ratio (pre-filled syringe vs. lyophilized form) of C(max) and AUC(last) were 0.99 and 1.01. The associated 90% confidence intervals were 0.90 to 1.08 and 0.94 to 1.09, respectively. Most common adverse events were headache and nasopharyngitis. Neutropenia occurred in 2 cases (reported as serious adverse events). No deaths occurred. CONCLUSION: The 150 mg liquid pre-filled syringe and lyophilized formulations of canakinumab are bioequivalent.

A phase II, multicenter, open-label study evaluating dosing and preliminary safety and efficacy of canakinumab in systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis with active systemic features.

OBJECTIVE: To assess dosing, preliminary safety, and efficacy of canakinumab, a fully human anti-interleukin-1ß (anti-IL-1ß) antibody, in children with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and active systemic features. METHODS: In this phase II, multicenter, open-label, dosage-escalation study, children with systemic JIA who were ≥4 years of age, had fever, and were receiving ≤0.4 mg/kg/day of corticosteroids were administered a single subcutaneous dose of canakinumab, 0.5-9 mg/kg of body weight, and were redosed upon relapse. Response to treatment was assessed according to an adaptation of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) pediatric criteria for improvement. RESULTS: A total of 23 children ages 4-19 years with active disease were enrolled. Of these, 1 patient was excluded from analysis, and 3 of the reenrolled patients were included twice in the efficacy analysis. By day 15 of the first treatment cycle, 15 of 25 patients (60%) had achieved an adapted ACR Pediatric 50 response, with 4 of them achieving inactive disease status. Response was sustained over time, with 11 of 13 patients able to maintain their response throughout the study. In 8 of the 11 responders who had been receiving steroids at baseline, the steroid dosage was decreased from a mean of 0.38 mg/kg/day to 0.13 mg/kg/day over the first 5 months, and 4 of them were able to discontinue steroids. At a dose of 4 mg/kg of canakinumab given subcutaneously every 4 weeks, the median percentage of patients predicted to relapse within 4 weeks was estimated to be 6% (95% confidence interval 1-21). Therapy was generally well tolerated and few patients experienced injection-site reactions. CONCLUSION: Canakinumab has a promising preliminary safety and efficacy profile in this limited cohort. Based on the findings of this trial, further studies in a larger population of children with systemic JIA are warranted.

Double-blind, placebo-controlled, multiple-ascending-dose study on the pharmacodynamics of ABIO-08/01, a new CNS drug with potential anxiolytic activity. 2. EEG-tomography findings based on LORETA (low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography).

Effects of ABIO-08/01, a new potentially anxiolytic isoxazoline, on regional electrical brain generators were investigated by 3-dimensional EEG tomography. In a double- blind, placebo-controlled, multiple-ascending-dose study, 16 healthy males (30.2 +/- 5.7 years) received 3 oral drug doses (10, 20, 40 mg) and placebo for 7 days (8-day wash-out) in a randomized non-balanced design for phase-1 studies. A 3-min vigilance-controlled (V) EEG, a 4-min resting (R) EEG with eyes closed, a 1-min eyes-open (EO) EEG and psychometric tests were performed 0, 1 and 6 h after taking the drug on days 1 and 5. Low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (LORETA) was computed from the spectrally analyzed EEG data, and differences between drug and placebo were displayed as statistical parametric maps. Data were registered to the Talairach-Tournoux Human Brain Atlas available as a digitized MRI. An overall omnibus significance test followed by a voxel-by-voxel t test demonstrated significant regional EEG changes after ABIO-08/01 versus placebo, dependent on recording condition, dose and time. While in the EO-EEG specifically the lowest dose of ABIO-08/01 induced pronounced sedative effects (delta/theta and beta increase) 1 h after acute and slightly less so after superimposed administration, in the 6th hour a decrease in alpha and beta activity signaled less sedative and more relaxant action. In the V-EEG these changes were less pronounced, in the R-EEG partly opposite. Hemisphere-specific changes were observed, suggesting increases in LORETA power over the left temporal, parietal, superior frontal regions and decreases over the right prefrontal, temporal pole and occipital regions. These LORETA changes are discussed in the light of neuroimaging findings on anxiety and anxiolytics.