Identification of an active, well-tolerated dose of pralatrexate in patients with relapsed or refractory cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.

Systemic treatment for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) involves the use of less aggressive, well-tolerated therapies. Pralatrexate is a novel antifolate with high affinity for reduced folate carrier-1. A dose de-escalation strategy identified recommended pralatrexate dosing for patients with CTCL that demonstrated high activity, good rates of disease control, and an acceptable toxicity profile for continuous long-term dosing. Eligibility included mycosis fungoides, Sézary syndrome, or primary cutaneous anaplastic large cell lymphoma, with disease progression after ≥ 1 prior systemic therapy. The starting dose and schedule was 30 mg/m(2)/wk intravenously for 3 of 4 (3/4) weeks. Subsequent starting doses were 20, 15, and 10 mg/m(2)/wk for 3/4 or 2 of 3 (2/3) weeks. Response was evaluated by the modified severity-weighted adjustment tool. Fifty-four patients were treated. The recommended regimen was identified as 15 mg/m(2)/wk for 3/4 weeks and was explored in the expansion cohort. In 29 patients treated overall with the recommended dosing regimen, the median number of prior systemic therapies was 4. Pralatrexate was administered for a median of 4 cycles; response rate was 45%. The most common grade 3 adverse event (AE) was mucositis (17%); the only grade 4 AE was leukopenia (3%). Pralatrexate 15 mg/m(2)/wk for 3/4 weeks shows high activity with acceptable toxicity in patients with relapsed/refractory CTCL.

Efficacy and Safety of ARRY-371797 in LMNA-Related Dilated Cardiomyopathy: A Phase 2 Study.

BACKGROUND: Lamin A/C gene (LMNA)-related dilated cardiomyopathy is a serious and life-threatening condition with a high unmet medical need. This phase 2 study assessed the effects of the oral selective p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitor ARRY-371797 on functional capacity and cardiac function in patients with LMNA-related dilated cardiomyopathy. METHODS: Patients with LMNA-related dilated cardiomyopathy in New York Heart Association class II-IIIA, on background heart failure treatment, received ARRY-371797 100 or 400 mg twice daily for 48 weeks. The primary end point was change from baseline in the 6-minute walk test distance at 12 weeks. Secondary end points included changes over time in 6-minute walk test distance, NT-proBNP (N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide) concentration, left ventricular ejection fraction, and quality-of-life scores on the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire. Data from the 2 dose groups were combined. RESULTS: Twelve patients were enrolled; median (minimum, maximum) 6-minute walk test distance at baseline was 314 (246, 412) m. At week 12, the mean (80% CI) increase from baseline in 6-minute walk test distance was 69 (39, 100) m (median, 47 m). Median NT-proBNP concentration declined from 1409 pg/mL at baseline to 848 pg/mL at week 12. Mean left ventricular ejection fraction was stable at week 12. There was a trend toward improvement in Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire Overall and Clinical Summary scores at week 12. No clinically significant drug-related safety concerns were identified. CONCLUSIONS: ARRY-371797 was well tolerated and resulted in potential increases in functional capacity and lower concentrations of cardiac biomarker NT-proBNP in patients with LMNA-related dilated cardiomyopathy. REGISTRATION: URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT02057341.

Plain Language Summary of Publication of the safety and efficacy of ARRY-371797 in people with dilated cardiomyopathy and a faulty LMNA gene.

WHAT IS THIS PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY ABOUT?: This plain language summary describes the results of a study looking at the effects of a medicine called ARRY-371797 (also known as PF-07265803) in people with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM for short) caused by a faulty LMNA gene. This condition is called LMNA-related DCM. DCM happens when the heart becomes bigger and weaker than normal, impacting functional capacity and leading to symptoms of heart failure. This means the heart is not able to pump blood around the body as easily, and people are unable to do as much in their daily lives (like getting dressed and going shopping). People may inherit a faulty LMNA gene from one of their parents, or a faulty LMNA gene may develop when mistakes happen during cell growth and replication. ARRY-371797 targets a specific mechanism in the body that can lead to heart problems in people with a faulty LMNA gene. As ARRY-371797 is not currently approved for use outside of clinical trials, it doesn't currently have an easily recognizable trade name. WHAT WERE THE RESULTS?: 12 American people (average age 50 years) with LMNA-related DCM took part in the study and received 400 mg or 100 mg of ARRY-371797 twice daily for 48 weeks. People knew which dose of ARRY-371797 they were taking. People were checked after 4, 12, 24, 36 and 48 weeks of taking ARRY-371797 to see how far they could walk in the 6-minute walk test (6MWT for short). The level of NT-proBNP in their blood was also measured. NT-proBNP is a biomarker used to measure the severity of heart failure. A biomarker is something found in the body that can be measured to indicate the extent of a disease. -After taking ARRY-371797 for 12 weeks, people were able to walk further in the 6MWT and had lower levels of NT-proBNP in their blood. This suggests improvement in functional capacity (exercise tolerance) and heart function. Researchers also asked people about their quality of life using the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ for short), and looked for any side effects. -Researchers saw some improvement in KCCQ scores. -Researchers saw no major side effects that they considered to be related to ARRY-371797 treatment. A side effect is something that people feel was caused by a medicine or treatment. Overall, this study showed that people with LMNA-related DCM who took ARRY-371797 had improved functional capacity (exercise tolerance), improved heart function, and improved quality of life. Phase 2 study (NCT02057341) Phase 2 long-term extension study (NCT02351856) Phase 3 REALM-DCM study (NCT03439514).

Diaspirin-crosslinked hemoglobin reduces blood transfusion in noncardiac surgery: a multicenter, randomized, controlled, double-blinded trial.

UNLABELLED: In this randomized, prospective, double-blinded clinical trial, we sought to investigate whether diaspirin-crosslinked hemoglobin (DCLHb) can reduce the perioperative use of allogeneic blood transfusion. One-hundred-eighty-one elective surgical patients were enrolled at 19 clinical sites from 1996 to 1998. Selection criteria included anticipated transfusion of 2-4 blood units, aortic repair, and major joint or abdomino-pelvic surgery. Once a decision to transfuse had been made, patients received initially up to 3 250-mL infusions of 10% DCLHb (n = 92) or 3 U of packed red blood cells (PRBCs) (n = 89). DCLHb was infused during a 36-h perioperative window. On the day of surgery, 58 of 92 (64%; confidence interval [CI], 54%-74%) DCLHb-treated patients received no allogeneic PRBC transfusions. On Day 1, this number was 44 of 92 (48%; CI, 37%-58%) and decreased further until Day 7, when it was 21 of 92 (23%; CI, 15%-33%). During the 7-day period, 2 (1-4) units of PRBC per patient were used in the DCLHb group compared with 3 (2-4) units in the control patients (P = 0.002; medians and 25th and 75th percentiles). Mortality (4% and 3%, respectively) and incidence of suffering at least one serious adverse event (21% and 15%, respectively) were similar in DCLHb and PRBC groups. The incidence of jaundice, urinary side effects, and pancreatitis were more frequent in DCLHb patients. The study was terminated early because of safety concerns. Whereas the side-effect profile of modified hemoglobin solutions needs to be improved, our data show that hemoglobin solutions can be effective at reducing exposure to allogeneic blood for elective surgery. IMPLICATIONS: In a randomized, double-blinded red blood cell controlled, multicenter trial, diaspirin-crosslinked hemoglobin spared allogeneic transfusion in 23% of patients undergoing elective noncardiac surgery. The observed side-effect profile indicates a need for improvement in hemoglobin development.