The establishment of a porcine rheumatoid arthritis model: Collagen induced arthritis minipig model.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) research has been largely dependent on collagen induced arthritis (CIA) rodent models, however, they may not translate well to humans due to innate differences in the size, physiology and lifespan. The present study aimed to establish a CIA porcine model with the physical, hematological, histopathological and etiological properties closer to their human equivalent in an attempt to better meet the needs of RA research. Three month old minipigs were administered of bovine type II collagen (CII) emulsified with complete Freund's adjuvants on Day 1 and incomplete Freund's adjuvants on Day 22, via an intradermal or intra-articular route. The clinical, radiological and hematological assessments of immunized animals were made periodically until Day 43, during which period the onset and progression of arthritis was recorded and characterized. In addition, the histopathological and micro-tomographic assessments of the cartilage degradation with regard to mononuclear cell infiltration, and joint deformity indicated a higher severity in the intradermal injection group over the intra-articular group. With confirmation of the susceptibility to heterogeneous CII for arthritis induction in minipig, the potential suitability of this test system as a large animal model for RA has been demonstrated.

TROIKA-1: A double-blind, randomized, parallel group, study aimed to demonstrate the equivalent pharmacokinetic profile of HD201, a potential biosimilar candidate to trastuzumab, versus EU-Herceptin® and US-Herceptin® in healthy male subjects.

Prestige Biopharma Ltd (Singapore) has developed HD201, a proposed biosimilar to reference product trastuzumab. As a part of the stepwise approach to ensure comparability between the biosimilar candidate and the reference medicinal product, a phase I study in healthy subjects was conducted to demonstrate the pharmacokinetic (PK) equivalence (NCT03776240). The primary objective of the study was to demonstrate (PK) equivalence of HD201, EU-Herceptin® , and US-Herceptin® given at 6 mg/kg as a 90-min i.v. infusion to healthy male subjects. A pairwise comparisons based on the primary endpoint AUC0-inf and secondary PK endpoints, AUC0-last and Cmax were undertaken. PK equivalence was to be concluded if the 90% confidence interval (CI) for the ratio of geometric means for each criterion were within the equivalence margin of 80% to 125%. Secondary objectives included assessment of other PK parameters, safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity in the three arms. A total of 105 healthy male subjects (35/treatment) were randomized in this study. The 90% CI for the ratios of AUC0-inf , Cmax and AUC0-last , were within 80%-125% for the comparisons of HD201 to EU-Herceptin® or US-Herceptin® and EU-Herceptin® to US-Herceptin® . The frequency of subjects with TEAEs of special interest was slightly lower in the HD201 group (20.0%) compared to the other treatment groups (EU-Herceptin® : 34.3%; US-Herceptin® : 31.4%). Only 1 subject (EU-Herceptin® group) developed anti-drug antibodies prior to dosing. Overall, HD201 demonstrates PK similarity to both EU-Herceptin® and US-Herceptin® . The three study drugs also demonstrated similar safety profiles.

A randomized phase I study comparing the pharmacokinetics of a bevacizumab (HD204) biosimilar to European Union- and United States of America-sourced bevacizumab.

PURPOSE: This first-in-human study was designed to evaluate the pharmacokinetic (PK) equivalence between HD204 and the European Union (EU)-sourced bevacizumab, between HD204 and the United States of America (US)-sourced bevacizumab, and between EU-sourced and US-sourced bevacizumab (NCT03390673). METHODS: In this randomized, double-blind, 3-way parallel group, single-dose comparative PK study, healthy male subjects were randomized to receive a single 1 mg/kg intravenous dose of HD204, EU-sourced bevacizumab or US-sourced bevacizumab. PK parameters were calculated using non-compartmental methods. PK equivalence was determined using the pre-defined equivalence margin of 0.8-1.25 in terms of AUC(0-∞) for the pairwise comparisons. FINDINGS: Baseline demographics for the 119 randomized subjects were similar across the three groups. The 90% CIs for the ratio of the geometric means of HD204 to US-sourced bevacizumab, HD204 to EU-sourced bevacizumab, and EU-sourced to US-sourced bevacizumab were all within the interval of 80% to 125% for AUC0-inf, thus demonstrating equivalency in the PK properties for all three treatment groups. Similarly, the ratio of the geometric means for AUC0-last and Cmax were all within the 80% and 125% margins, supporting the robustness of the primary findings. All other PK parameters, including the half-life (t1/2) clearance (CL), volume of distribution (Vd) and time of maximum concentration (tmax), were comparable. There was no difference between the 3 treatment arms in terms of vital signs, laboratory tests and adverse events. None of the subjects treated with HD204 had positive ADA results. IMPLICATIONS: HD204 demonstrates equivalent pharmacokinetic profiles compared to those of both US-sourced and EU-sourced bevacizumab. (NCT03390673).

A Randomized Phase I Study Comparing the Pharmacokinetics of HD201, a Trastuzumab Biosimilar, With European Union-sourced Herceptin.

PURPOSE: This first-in-human study of HD201 was designed to evaluate the pharmacokinetic (PK) equivalence between this biosimilar candidate and trastuzumab sourced in the European Union (EU-trastuzumab)*. METHODS: In this randomized, blinded, single-dose comparative PK study, healthy male subjects were randomized to receive a single 6 mg/kg IV dose of HD201 or EU-trastuzumab. The primary PK end point was AUC0-∞. Equivalence was determined by using the predefined margins of 0.8 to 1.25. Other PK parameters were included as secondary end points. FINDINGS: Baseline demographic characteristics for the 73 randomized subjects were similar across the 2 groups: median age 29 and 30 years old (ranges 19 - 45), median weight 78.6 and 81.7 kg (ranges 60.2 - 101). The 90% CIs for the geometric least squares mean of the AUC0-∞ were included within the margins of 0.8 to 1.25. All other PK parameters were comparable for both HD201 and EU-trastuzumab. The proportions of subjects who experienced adverse events related to the study drug were 61.8% and 82.9% in the HD201 and EU-trastuzumab groups, respectively. The most frequently reported adverse events related to the study drug were infusion-related reactions. No subjects had positive results for antidrug antibodies after a single dose. IMPLICATIONS: This study reported the PK equivalence between HD201 and EU-trastuzumab. HD201 was well tolerated with no safety concerns after single-dose administration in healthy male subjects. EudraCT No.: 2012-000805-56.