Real-world outcomes of ponatinib treatment in 724 patients with CML and Ph+ ALL: a post-marketing surveillance study with a special interest in arterial occlusive events in Japan.

BACKGROUND: In September 2016, ponatinib was approved in Japan for the treatment of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia with resistance/intolerance to prior tyrosine kinase inhibitors and patients with relapsed or refractory Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia. METHODS: We conducted a post-marketing all-case surveillance to study the safety and efficacy of ponatinib in clinical practice, focusing on arterial occlusive events. RESULTS: Data from 724 patients were collected for 2 years from the initiation of ponatinib. The arterial occlusive events were reported in 6.49% (47/724) with an exposure-adjusted incidence rate of 6.8/100 person-years. The risks associated with arterial occlusive events were age and comorbidities including hypertension and diabetes. At 104 weeks, the cumulative major molecular response rate in patients with chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia was 67.2% and the complete cytogenetic response in patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia was 80.0%. Furthermore, the estimated 1-year overall survival rate was 98.5% for chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia and 68.6% for Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia. CONCLUSIONS: This surveillance demonstrated that ponatinib has a favorable safety and efficacy profile in Japanese patients and also showed the necessity of closely monitoring arterial occlusive events in older adults and patients with predisposing factors for atherosclerosis.

Real-world safety and effectiveness of rotigotine in patients with Parkinson's disease: analysis of a post-marketing surveillance study in Japan.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of rotigotine under daily clinical practice in Parkinson's disease patients. METHODS: The study was a prospective, non-interventional, observational study targeting patients who were treated with rotigotine for the first time, with a 1-year follow-up period from September 2013 to August 2016. RESULTS: There were 603 patients in the safety population and 599 patients in the effectiveness population. The mean age was 71.6 years, and the age group of ≥65 and ≥80 years accounted for 80% and 18.6% of all patients, respectively. The frequency of adverse drug reaction (ADR) was 34.3%, and common ADRs were application site reaction (20.2%), typical for transdermal patches. However, the majority of patients recovered or was recovering from these ADRs and were non-serious. Although ADRs related to non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease were observed, most of them were non-serious. Total scores of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Part III (UPDRS-III) (ON-time) significantly decreased from baseline in the effectiveness population. In the analysis of overall improvement in 12 months of post-treatment, ≥70% of patients achieved mild or greater improvement. The safety profiles and improvements in the UPDRS-III score were similar in both the ≥80 years of age group and younger age group. CONCLUSION: There were no new or notable safety concerns observed, and the effectiveness of rotigotine was suggested in daily clinical practice.

Aripiprazole in the real-world treatment for irritability associated with autism spectrum disorder in children and adolescents in Japan: 52-week post-marketing surveillance.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the post-marketing safety and effectiveness of aripiprazole in treating irritability in pediatric patients (6-17 years) with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in actual clinical sites of Japan. METHODS: In this post-marketing surveillance, patients were enrolled into the multicenter, prospective, non-interventional, observational study for 52 weeks, and were dosed with aripiprazole (1-15 mg/day) under daily clinical settings in Japan. RESULTS: In 510 patients, the continuation rate of aripiprazole treatment was 84.6% at day 168 (week 24) and 78.1% at day 364 (week 52). Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) occurred in 22.7% of patients (n = 116), and the most common ADRs were somnolence (9.4%), followed by weight increased (3.3%). At week 4, the mean change from baseline in the irritability subscale score for the Aberrant Behavior Checklist Japanese version (ABC-J) was - 5.7 ± 6.8 (n = 288). Based on multiple regression analysis, comorbid attention deficit and hyperactivity did not affect the ABC-J irritability subscale score at endpoint. At week 24, the mean change from baseline for the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire was - 3.3 ± 4.9 (n = 215) for the total difficulties score and 0.6 ± 1.7 (n = 217) for the prosocial behavior subscale score. CONCLUSIONS: Aripiprazole was well tolerated and effective in the long-term treatment of irritability associated with ASD in Japanese pediatric patients in the real-world clinical practice. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This surveillance was registered with Clinical Trial.gov (no. NCT03179787 ) on June 7, 2017 (retrospectively registered).

Real-world effectiveness and safety of tolvaptan in liver cirrhosis patients with hepatic edema: results from a post-marketing surveillance study (START study).

BACKGROUND: This large-scale post-marketing surveillance study (START study) evaluated the effectiveness and safety of tolvaptan in Japanese liver cirrhosis patients with hepatic edema in real-world clinical settings. Here, we present the final analysis outcomes. METHODS: A prospective, multicenter, non-interventional study involving patients who received tolvaptan for the treatment of liver cirrhosis with hepatic edema with an insufficient response to conventional diuretics. The observation period was up to 6 months. Effectiveness evaluation included changes in body weight and clinical symptoms. Safety analysis included evaluation of adverse drug reactions (ADRs). RESULTS: Case reports of 1111 patients were collected. Of these, 1109 were included in the safety analysis and 1098 in the effectiveness analysis. The mean age was 69.4 ± 11.5 years and 695 (62.7%) patients were male. After tolvaptan treatment, a decrease in body weight from baseline was - 2.6 ± 2.7 kg on day 7 and - 3.8 ± 4.1 kg on day 14. Moreover, clinical symptoms significantly improved over the 14-day treatment. Frequently reported ADRs were thirst (6.6%), hepatic encephalopathy (2.3%), dehydration (1.5%), and hypernatremia (1.2%). A serum sodium level of ≥ 150 mEq/L was reported in five patients (0.5%). Multivariate analyses showed that the baseline blood urea nitrogen (BUN) level (cut-off value: 22.4 mg/dL) was the predictive factor for tolvaptan treatment response. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that tolvaptan was effective and well-tolerated in liver cirrhosis patients with hepatic edema. In the real-world clinical setting, tolvaptan provides a useful option for the treatment of hepatic edema.

A Prospective, Multicenter, Post-Marketing Surveillance Study to Evaluate the Safety and Effectiveness of Tolvaptan in Patients with Reduced, Preserved, and Mid-Range Ejection Fraction Heart Failure.

Tolvaptan, a vasopressin V2 receptor antagonist, is approved in Japan for the treatment of fluid retention in patients with heart failure (HF), and in the United States for hyponatremia. The efficacy and safety of tolvaptan in patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) have been demonstrated previously. However, its efficacy in patients with HF having preserved (HFpEF) and mid-range (HFmrEF) ejection fraction (EF) remains uncertain. The present subgroup analysis from the post-marketing surveillance SMILE Study aims to explore the efficacy and safety of tolvaptan across the HF subgroups (HFrEF, HFpEF, and HFmrEF).Patients with HF accompanied by fluid retention who received tolvaptan were enrolled. Primary endpoints were: change in body weight, 24-hour urine volume, congestive symptoms, and safety over 14-day treatment. Of the 3,349 patients enrolled, left ventricular EF data were available for 1,741 patients; 45.7% had HFpEF. Tolvaptan treatment resulted in body weight reduction and increases in 24-hour urine volume across the 3 subgroups. Congestive symptoms significantly improved over the 14-day treatment in all subgroups. The frequency of adverse events (AEs) was comparable across the subgroups; thirst was the most common AE.Tolvaptan provides a safe and effective option for treating fluid retention in patients with HFpEF, as well as HFmrEF and HFrEF.

Real-World Effectiveness and Tolerability of Tolvaptan in Patients With Heart Failure　- Final Results of the Samsca Post-Marketing Surveillance in Heart Failure (SMILE) Study.

BACKGROUND: In Japan, tolvaptan is indicated for patients with heart failure and volume overload who have inadequate response to other diuretics. In contrast to the USA and Europe, tolvaptan can be used in Japan in patients with normal sodium levels.Methods and Results:In this multicenter, non-interventional, post-marketing surveillance study, prospective data from 3,349 patients treated with tolvaptan over a 5-year period were analyzed to identify benefits and risks. By Day 2 of treatment, 76.9% of evaluable patients had an increase in baseline 24-h urine volume (tolvaptan responders). Mean change in body weight was similar between 7.5 mg and 15 mg dosage groups (-3.6±3.9 kg and -3.7±4.0 kg, respectively). Improvement or disappearance rates for congestive symptoms from baseline to Day 14 ranged from 77.7% for lower limb edema to 51.1% for 3rd sound. Adverse drug reactions were reported in 18.1% of patients, most frequently thirst (8.4%). No case of central pontine myelinolysis was reported. All-cause mortality was significantly lower in patients with improved sodium concentration and increased 24-h urine volume. CONCLUSIONS: The effectiveness and safety of tolvaptan in real-world clinical settings was confirmed in this large-scale analysis. The 7.5-mg dose was equally as effective as the 15-mg dose and had a better safety profile. Improvements in all-cause mortality were suggested in tolvaptan responders.

Real-world effectiveness and safety of aripiprazole augmentation therapy in patients with major depressive disorder.

AIMS: Augmentation therapy is an option for patients with major depressive disorder who do respond sufficiently to adequate dosages of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, but little is known about application of this strategy in everyday practice. METHODS: This prospective, multi-center, observational study investigated the effectiveness and safety of aripiprazole augmentation in Japanese patients with inadequate response to conventional antidepressant therapy in real-world clinical practice. The primary endpoint was mean change in the (Japanese version) Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) total score from baseline to study end. Safety was assessed by monitoring adverse events. RESULTS: There were 1103 patients in the safety population and 1090 patients in the effectiveness population. Mean change in the MADRS total score at study end was -14.9 ± 12.3 (p < .001 vs baseline). The remission rate increased from 34.5% at Month 6 to 43.3% at Month 12, suggesting additional benefit with continued treatment. The type of primary antidepressant (paroxetine, fluvoxamine, sertraline, milnacipran, duloxetine, mirtazapine, or escitalopram) had no influence on the effectiveness of aripiprazole augmentation therapy. A baseline MADRS total score of <33 points and an elapsed time of <176 days from an episode of depression to the start of aripiprazole treatment increased the likelihood of achieving remission; 24.8% of patients experienced at least one adverse event, but no new safety signals were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Aripiprazole augmentation therapy appears to be effective and safe in Japanese patients with depression/depressive symptoms treated in everyday clinical practice, taking into account factors associated with achieving remission.

Who Needs Longer Tolvaptan Treatment?

The vasopressin receptor 2 (V2) receptor antagonist tolvaptan is an aquaretic agent that has been approved for heart failure patients with volume overload in Japan. In this study (SMILE study), we investigated patient characteristics and effectiveness in both a 14 days and shorter treated group (14DS) and 15 days and longer treated group (15DL). The results showed that the patients in the 15DL group had low cardiac output with intensive diuretic administration (ie, diuretic resistance). The congestive symptoms were greatly improved within 14 days of treatment in both the 14DS and 15DL groups. Further improvements in lower limb edema, pulmonary congestion, dyspnea, third sound, and rales after 2 weeks were statistically significant in the 15DL group, but the amount of improvement was subtle and the 15DL group might have consisted of a considerable number of "non-responders". Therefore, identifying "responders" by biomarkers and conducting a prospective randomized study is required to validate our findings.

Effectiveness and safety of tolvaptan in liver cirrhosis patients with edema: Interim results of post-marketing surveillance of tolvaptan in liver cirrhosis (START study).

AIM: Loop diuretics and spironolactone are used in patients with hepatic edema, but they are sometimes associated with insufficient responses as well as adverse events. Tolvaptan, a vasopressin type 2 receptor antagonist, was approved for hepatic edema in 2013. A large-scale post-marketing surveillance study has been carried out to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of tolvaptan in real-world clinical settings. METHODS: Patients with hepatic cirrhosis with insufficient response to conventional diuretics were enrolled. The observational period was up to 6 months. Changes in body weight and clinical symptoms were measured to evaluate effectiveness. The incidence of adverse drug reactions was summarized as a safety measure. RESULTS: Of 970 patients enrolled, 463 were included in the safety analysis. Of this group, 340 were included in the effectiveness analysis. Decreases in body weight from baseline were -2.38 kg on day 7 and -3.52 kg on day 14. Ascites and bloated feeling was significantly improved within 14 days. The mean change in body weight depended on estimated glomerular filtration rate levels. The most frequently reported adverse drug reaction was thirst (6.9% of patients). Serum sodium level of ≥146 mEq/L was observed in 12 patients (2.7%). CONCLUSIONS: In the real-world clinical setting, tolvaptan showed aquaretic effectiveness in patients with cirrhosis. The mean change in body weight depended on renal function. We recommend tolvaptan use for hepatic cirrhosis at a stage in which the renal function is maintained.