Integrated molecular profiling of juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia.

Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML), a rare and aggressive myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasm that occurs in infants and during early childhood, is characterized by excessive myelomonocytic cell proliferation. More than 80% of patients harbor germ line and somatic mutations in RAS pathway genes (eg, PTPN11, NF1, NRAS, KRAS, and CBL), and previous studies have identified several biomarkers associated with poor prognosis. However, the molecular pathogenesis of 10% to 20% of patients and the relationships among these biomarkers have not been well defined. To address these issues, we performed an integrated molecular analysis of samples from 150 JMML patients. RNA-sequencing identified ALK/ROS1 tyrosine kinase fusions (DCTN1-ALK, RANBP2-ALK, and TBL1XR1-ROS1) in 3 of 16 patients (18%) who lacked canonical RAS pathway mutations. Crizotinib, an ALK/ROS1 inhibitor, markedly suppressed ALK/ROS1 fusion-positive JMML cell proliferation in vitro. Therefore, we administered crizotinib to a chemotherapy-resistant patient with the RANBP2-ALK fusion who subsequently achieved complete molecular remission. In addition, crizotinib also suppressed proliferation of JMML cells with canonical RAS pathway mutations. Genome-wide methylation analysis identified a hypermethylation profile resembling that of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), which correlated significantly with genetic markers with poor outcomes such as PTPN11/NF1 gene mutations, 2 or more genetic mutations, an AML-type expression profile, and LIN28B expression. In summary, we identified recurrent activated ALK/ROS1 fusions in JMML patients without canonical RAS pathway gene mutations and revealed the relationships among biomarkers for JMML. Crizotinib is a promising candidate drug for the treatment of JMML, particularly in patients with ALK/ROS1 fusions.

A multicenter, phase III evaluation of the efficacy and safety of a new fixed-dose pioglitazone/glimepiride combination tablet in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to determine the efficacy and safety of pioglitazone/glimepiride as a fixed-dose combination (FDC) in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: In this multicenter, phase III, open-label evaluation, eligible patients had to have a glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA(1c)) level of ≥7.4% and <10.4% halfway through a 4-week run-in period while being treated with glimepiride 1 or 3 mg once daily plus diet and exercise. At baseline, patients were assigned to 8 weeks of treatment with pioglitazone/glimepiride (15 mg/1 mg) FDC once daily (group A; n=31) or pioglitazone/glimepiride (30 mg/3 mg) FDC once daily (group B; n=31) according to their glimepiride dose during run-in. RESULTS: Pioglitazone/glimepiride significantly reduced the mean HbA(1c) level from baseline (primary end point) by 0.59±0.556% in group A (P<0.0001) and by 0.55±0.637% in group B (P<0.0001). Corresponding reductions in the mean fasting blood glucose level were 12.5±21.67 mg/dL (P=0.0032) and 29.1±35.38 mg/dL (P<0.0001). Significant alterations from baseline to week 8 in either one or both treatment groups were also noted for the following parameters: 1,5-anhydroglucitol, glycoalbumin, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and free fatty acid levels. Five patients in group A (16.1%) had five treatment-related adverse events, and 10 patients in group B (32.3%) had 13 such events; all events were mild. CONCLUSIONS: Pioglitazone/glimepiride as a FDC (30 mg/3 mg and 15 mg/1 mg once daily) significantly improved glycemic control and lipid profiles and was well tolerated in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes.

Vertebral histomorphometry in a child with glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis.

Vertebral fractures are an under-recognized problem in children with glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIO). They cause severe back pain and spinal column deformity with a decrease of quality of life. For evaluating the bone mass, bone mineral density measurements have been widely carried out using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. However, bone histomorphometric analyses of GIO in children are scarce. Bone histomorphometric analyses of vertebral bodies have not been reported. Our aim is to report the first bone histomorphometric data for vertebrae from an autopsied child with GIO. A 15-year-old girl with systemic lupus erythematosus was started on a daily oral dose of 10 mg of prednisolone at 6 years of age. She presented with back pain from 12 years of age. Magnetic resonance imaging at 14 years of age showed a compression fracture of the first lumbar (L1) vertebral body. At 15 years of age, she died of heart failure owing to pulmonary hypertension. Collapsed (L1) and non-collapsed (seventh thoracic vertebrae; T7) vertebral bodies were autopsied for bone histomorphometry and compared. T7 showed severe osteoporosis (bone volume, 4.99%; trabecular thickness, 59 µm; trabecular separation, 1,134 µm). Compared with T7, L1 showed increased bone volume (33.9%) and trabecular thickness (77 µm), and decreased trabecular separation (156 µm) owing to the impact of the vertebral fracture. The bone formation and bone resorption parameters were comparable between the two vertebrae. These histological findings suggest that severe osteoporosis developed after long-term glucocorticoid administration, and that the remodeling activities were similar in the fractured and non-fractured vertebrae.

The impact of pharmacogenomics research on drug development.

Over the last two decades, identification of polymorphisms that influence human diseases has begun to have an impact on the provision of medical care. The promise of genetics lies in its ability to provide insight into an individual's susceptibility to disease, the likely nature of the disease and the most appropriate therapy. For much of its history, pharmacogenomics (PGx) has been limited to relatively simple phenotypes such as plasma drug levels. Progress in genetic technologies has broadened the scope of exploratory PGx and its implementation into safety and efficacy studies, impacting a broad spectrum of drug discovery and development activities. Recent PGx data show the ability of this approach to generate information that can be applied to target selection, dose selection, efficacy determination and safety issues. This in turn will lead to significant opportunities to influence the approaches to drug discovery, clinical development and the probability of success. In particular, adverse drug reactions are critical issues for pharmaceutical companies and for the patients who will benefit from these new medicines. In this review, we outline current progress in PGx, using examples to highlight the influence of polymorphisms, and discuss contemporary challenges for both researchers and clinicians.

Efficacy and safety of alogliptin added to sulfonylurea in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with an open-label, long-term extension study.

AIMS/INTRODUCTION: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of alogliptin added to treatment with glimepiride. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, 24-week (12-week observation and 12-week treatment) study compared alogliptin 12.5 or 25 mg in combination with glimepiride (1-4 mg/day) vs placebo added to glimepiride monotherapy in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes who had poor glycemic control despite treatment with diet and exercise plus a sulfonylurea. The primary end-point was a change in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) from baseline. A 40-week open-label extension study evaluated the long-term safety and efficacy of the combination. RESULTS: Alogliptin 12.5 or 25 mg in combination with glimepiride significantly decreased HbA1c compared with glimepiride monotherapy after 12 weeks' treatment (-0.59, -0.65 and 0.35%, respectively; P < 0.0001 for both combination groups vs glimepiride monotherapy). Alogliptin 12.5 and 25 mg combination therapy was also associated with significantly higher responder rates (HbA1c <6.9%: 9.6% and 7.7%, HbA1c <7.4%: 29.8% and 34.6%) compared with glimepiride monotherapy (HbA1c <6.9%: 0%, HbA1c <7.4%: 3.9%). The incidence of adverse events was comparable between glimepiride monotherapy and alogliptin combination treatment, with most reported adverse events being mild in severity. In the extension study, the incidence of adverse events was comparable between the combination groups, with the majority of adverse events being mild. CONCLUSIONS: Once-daily alogliptin was effective and generally well tolerated when given as add-on therapy to glimepiride in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes who had inadequate glycemic control on sulfonylurea plus lifestyle measures. Clinical benefits were maintained for 52 weeks. This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (double-blind study no. NCT01318083; long-term study no. NCT01318135).

Alogliptin plus voglibose in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with an open-label, long-term extension.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy and safety of alogliptin and placebo as add-on therapy in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes who experienced inadequate glycemic control on voglibose plus diet/exercise therapy. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: During an 8 week screening phase, patients aged ≥ 20 years were stabilized on voglibose 0.2 mg three times daily plus diet/exercise therapy. Those with HbA1c between ≥ 6.9% and <10.4% were randomly assigned to 12 weeks' double-blind treatment with once daily alogliptin 12.5 or 25 mg, or placebo. The primary endpoint was the change in HbA1c at 12 weeks from baseline. Patients then entered an open-label, 40 week extension trial (patients in the placebo group were randomly allocated to alogliptin 12.5 or 25 mg). CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: www.clinicaltrials.gov ; pivotal trial NCT01263483; Long term trial NCT01263509. RESULTS: Least square mean change in HbA1c after 12 weeks' therapy from baseline (primary endpoint) was significantly greater in the alogliptin 12.5 mg (-0.96%; P < 0.0001) and 25 mg (-0.93%; P < 0.0001) groups compared with placebo (+0.06%). This was associated with statistically significant improvements in other measures of glycemic control, in particular sustained reductions in fasting plasma glucose and postprandial plasma glucose. These benefits were maintained for the duration of the 1 year study and, importantly, they were achieved without detrimental effects on tolerability/safety. In particular, there was no increase in the rate of hypoglycemia and almost no changes in mean body weight. CONCLUSIONS: Addition of once daily alogliptin to voglibose monotherapy in Japanese patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes produced clinically significant improvements in glycemic control, and was well tolerated.

Efficacy and safety of alogliptin in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomized, double-blind, dose-ranging comparison with placebo, followed by a long-term extension study.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy and safety of different dosages of alogliptin with that of placebo and voglibose in drug-naïve Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled by diet and exercise. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: In the double-blind, placebo-controlled phase of this two-part study, 480 patients aged ≥20 years with type 2 diabetes mellitus (HbA1c ≥6.9% to <10.4%) were randomized to monotherapy with alogliptin 6.25, 12.5, 25 or 50 mg once daily, placebo, or voglibose 0.2 mg three times daily for a period of 12 weeks. In a subsequent open-label, long-term extension phase, patients continued on the same treatment for an additional 40 weeks (patients in the placebo group were reassigned equally to one of the four alogliptin dosages). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary efficacy endpoint was the change in HbA1c from the baseline value at week 12 of treatment. Safety endpoints were the occurrence of adverse events, vital sign measurements, physical examination and ECG findings, and laboratory test results recorded over the entire 52-week period. RESULTS: HbA1c was dose-dependently reduced by alogliptin, and the changes versus baseline were statistically significant with all four dosages in comparison with both placebo and voglibose. In addition, changes in fasting plasma glucose and postprandial plasma glucose AUC(0-2h) values were significantly greater with all four dosages of alogliptin in comparison with placebo. The incidence of adverse events with alogliptin over 52 weeks was not dose-dependent and was lower than with voglibose. Hypoglycemia occurred infrequently and was generally rated as mild. Changes in body weight with alogliptin were minimal (<0.5 kg) and not clinically meaningful. CONCLUSIONS: Alogliptin was well tolerated and dose-dependently improved glycemic parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled on diet and exercise.

Population pharmacokinetics and proton pump inhibitory effects of intravenous lansoprazole in healthy Japanese males.

A total of 56 healthy Japanese males were enrolled in single- or multiple- dose pharmacokinetic trials of intravenous lansoprazole administration. The population pharmacokinetics of the drug was evaluated using nonlinear mixed effects model (NONMEM) software. In addition, the effect of CYP2C19 polymorphism on proton pump inhibition by lansoprazole was investigated using 24-h intragastric pH monitoring in the 32 subjects. Time course of serum lansoprazole concentration following intravenous short infusion was well described by a 2-compartment model. The mean volume of the central and peripheral compartments was 0.110 and 0.201 l/kg, respectively. The mean inter-compartment clearance was estimated to be 0.0882 l/h/kg. The population mean value of systemic clearance in the homoEM (CYP2C19 1/ 1), heteroEM (CYP2C19 1/2 and 1/3), and PM (CYP2C19 2/2, 2/3, and 3/3) groups was 0.179, 0.109, and 0.038 l/h/kg, respectively. The mean intragastric pH following twice-daily doses of 30 mg lansoprazole was approximately 6, 5, and 4 in the PM, heteroEM, and homoEM groups, respectively. These findings indicate that large interindividual variability exists in the pharmacokinetics of intravenously administered lansoprazole, but that twice-daily infusion of a 30 mg dose leads to significant and sustained proton pump inhibition, even in the homoEM group, despite the short elimination half-life of the drug.

Good outcome for infant of mother treated with chemotherapy for ewing sarcoma at 25 to 30 weeks' gestation.

There have been only three previous reports of women with Ewing sarcoma who received chemotherapy while pregnant. A 17-year-old woman with Ewing sarcoma was treated with a combination of doxorubicin (Adriamycin) and ifosfamide during the 25th to 30th week of gestation, and the baby was delivered at the 32nd week. The baby was developing normally at follow-up at 8 months of age. This case report supports the idea that in this situation, the pregnancy can be continued to await fetal growth, and second-trimester chemotherapy may not have a deleterious effect on the fetus.