Lucy Rowell

A randomised, double-blind, parallel-group study of the safety and efficacy of subcutaneous tocilizumab versus intravenous tocilizumab in combination with traditional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs in patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (SUMMACTA study)

Objectives This study compared the efficacy and safety of subcutaneous (SC) versus intravenous (IV) formulations of tocilizumab in patients with rheumatoid arthritis with an inadequate response to disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD). Methods Patients (n=1262) were randomly assigned to receive tocilizumab-SC 162 mg weekly+placebo-IV every 4 weeks or tocilizumab-IV 8 mg/kg every 4 weeks+placebo-SC weekly in combination with traditional DMARD. The primary outcome was to demonstrate the non-inferiority of tocilizumab-SC to tocilizumab-IV with regard to the proportion of patients in each group achieving an American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 20 response at week 24 using a 12% non-inferiority margin (NIM). Secondary outcomes were disease activity score using 28 joints (DAS28), ACR responses, health assessment questionnaire scores and safety assessments. Results At week 24, 69.4% (95% CI 65.5 to 73.2) of tocilizumab-SC-treated patients versus 73.4% (95% CI 69.6 to 77.1) of tocilizumab-IV-treated patients achieved an ACR20 response (weighted difference between groups −4.0%, 95% CI −9.2 to 1.2); the 12% NIM was met. ACR50/70 responses, DAS28 and physical function improvements were comparable between the tocilizumab-SC and tocilizumab-IV groups. The safety profiles of tocilizumab-SC and tocilizumab-IV were similar, and the most common adverse event was infection. Injection-site reactions (ISR) occurred more frequently in the tocilizumab-SC group than in the tocilizumab-IV (placebo-SC) group. No anaphylaxis was reported over the 24 weeks. Conclusions Tocilizumab-SC 162 mg weekly demonstrated comparable efficacy to tocilizumab-IV 8 mg/kg. The safety profile of tocilizumab-SC is consistent with the known and well-established safety profile of tocilizumab-IV, with the exception of a higher incidence of ISR, which were more common with tocilizumab-SC administration.

Subcutaneous tocilizumab versus placebo in combination with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

The efficacy and safety of subcutaneous tocilizumab (TCZ‐SC) versus subcutaneous placebo (PBO‐SC) was evaluated in patients with rheumatoid arthritis who had an inadequate response to disease‐modifying antirheumatic drugs in the BREVACTA study.

Efficacy and safety of subcutaneous tocilizumab versus intravenous tocilizumab in combination with traditional DMARDs in patients with RA at week 97 (SUMMACTA)

Objectives To evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of subcutaneous (SC) tocilizumab (TCZ) versus intravenous (IV) TCZ, including switching formulations, in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and inadequate response to disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Methods Patients (n=1262) were randomised 1:1 to receive TCZ-SC 162 mg weekly (qw)+placebo-IV every four weeks (q4w) or TCZ-IV 8 mg/kg q4w+placebo-SC qw in combination with DMARD(s). After a 24-week double-blind period, patients receiving TCZ-SC were re-randomised 11:1 to TCZ-SC (n=521) or TCZ-IV (TCZ-SC–IV, n=48), and patients receiving TCZ-IV were re-randomised 2:1 to TCZ-IV (n=372) or TCZ-SC (TCZ-IV–SC; n=186). Maintenance of clinical responses and safety through week 97 were assessed. Results The proportions of patients who achieved American College of Rheumatology (ACR)20/50/70 responses, Disease Activity Score in 28 joints remission and improvement from baseline in Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index ≥0.3 were sustained through week 97 and comparable across arms. TCZ-SC had a comparable safety profile to TCZ-IV through week 97, except that injection site reactions (ISRs) were more common with TCZ-SC. Safety profiles in patients who switched were similar to those in patients who received continuous TCZ-SC or TCZ-IV treatment. The proportion of patients who developed anti-TCZ antibodies remained low across treatment arms. No association between anti-TCZ antibody development and clinical response or adverse events was observed. Conclusions The long-term efficacy and safety of TCZ-SC was maintained and comparable to that of TCZ-IV, except for ISRs. Profiles in patients who switched formulations were comparable to those in patients who received TCZ-IV or TCZ-SC. TCZ-SC provides additional treatment options for patients with RA. Trial registration number NCT01194414.

Safety and efficacy of enfuvirtide for 48 weeks as part of an optimized antiretroviral regimen in pediatric human immunodeficiency virus 1-infected patients.

Background: Enfuvirtide is the only entry inhibitor approved for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 infection. It is approved for use in adults and dosage recommendations exist for children aged 6 years or older. Methods: T20-310 was a multicenter, open-label, nonrandomized, noncomparative study of the safety and efficacy of 2.0 mg/kg (maximum 90 mg) twice-daily subcutaneous enfuvirtide for 48 weeks in 52 treatment-experienced, HIV-1-infected pediatric patients (3–16 years) receiving optimized background therapy. Results: Enfuvirtide was generally well tolerated, and no new patterns of adverse events compared with adults were observed. Mild-to-moderate injection-site reactions were the most common adverse event. Of those participants on treatment for 48 weeks, the median change from baseline in HIV-1 RNA was −1.17 log10 copies/mL (n = 32), and there was a median CD4 change of +106 (n = 25) cells/mm3 and +4.7 CD4%. Seventeen (32.7%) patients achieved a viral load decrease of ≥1 log10 copies/mL and 11 (21.2%) achieved HIV-1 RNA <400 copies/mL. Virologic and immunologic treatment responses were substantially better for children (<11 years) than adolescents. Steady-state mean enfuvirtide Ctrough levels were stable during 24 weeks with no differences between children and adolescents. Conclusions: Enfuvirtide is an effective treatment for HIV-1 infection in children and adolescents receiving optimized background therapy and has a favorable safety profile. Efficacy in adolescents was inferior; probably related to unique adherence challenges. The long-term safety and efficacy of enfuvirtide in pediatric patients is comparable to that observed in adults.

Effects of intermittent intravenous ibandronate injections on bone quality and micro-architecture in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis: The DIVA study

In the Dosing IntraVenous Administration (DIVA) study, IV ibandronate injections (15-30 s duration) provided significantly greater gains in bone mineral density than daily oral ibandronate (P<0.001). Single transiliac bone biopsy was performed in a subgroup of women (n=109/1395) from DIVA to assess the impact of ibandronate on newly formed bone and bone remodeling. Patients received ibandronate IV injections 2 mg every 2 months, 3 mg every 3 months or oral ibandronate 2.5 mg daily, plus oral or IV placebo, as appropriate to maintain blinding. Of the 1395 participants from the DIVA study, 122 were enrolled in the substudy. Qualitative histological analysis was performed on all biopsy cores and 89 cores were considered to be evaluable for quantitative histomorphometry. Following 2 years of ibandronate treatment, trabecular bone maintained its normal lamellar structure with no evidence of woven bone, marrow fibrosis, cellular toxicity, or other qualitative abnormalities. Primary mineralization of new bone remained normal, as indicated by the slightly lower osteoid thickness and osteoid volume, with normal mineral apposition rate compared to healthy, postmenopausal women. Mineralizing surface, osteoid surface, activation frequency and bone formation rate were decreased in all ibandronate-treated groups compared with values from healthy, postmenopausal women. Specifically, the bone formation rate (BFR/BV and BFR/BS) was approximately 5 times lower in the ibandronate-treated (3 mg) group than in healthy, postmenopausal women. Histomorphometric analysis of transiliac bone biopsies demonstrated normal micro-structure of newly formed bone with normal mineralization and reduced remodeling after oral or IV ibandronate.

Enfuvirtide Does Not Require Dose Adjustment in Patients With Chronic Kidney Failure: Results of a Pharmacokinetic Study of Enfuvirtide in Hiv-1-infected Patients With Impaired Kidney Function

Objective:The aim of this study was to examine the influence of kidney disease and hemodialysis on the pharmacokinetics of enfuvirtide. Design:An open-label, multicenter, parallel group study of HIV-1-infected patients with varying degrees of kidney dysfunction. Methods:A 90-mg dose of enfuvirtide was administered by subcutaneous injection to 3 groups of patients: group A, patients with normal kidney function; group B, patients with chronic kidney disease; and group C, patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) requiring dialysis. Patients with ESRD requiring dialysis received the 90-mg dose of enfuvirtide on 2 separate occasions; a dialysis day and a nondialysis day. After each dose, a full 48-hour pharmacokinetic profile was collected and pharmacokinetic parameters were estimated using model-independent techniques. Results:Enfuvirtide area under the curve (AUC∞) and maximum observed enfuvirtide plasma concentration (Cmax) for patients with normal kidney function (group A) was 49.6 μg·h/mL and 3.79 μg/mL, respectively. Patients with chronic kidney disease (group B) had higher AUC∞ (80.3 μg·h/mL) and Cmax (5.72 μg/mL), which was similar to patients with ESRD (group C) on both nondialysis days (AUC∞ 71.1 μg·h/mL; Cmax 5.34 μg/mL) and dialysis days (AUC∞ 66.9 μg·h/mL; Cmax 6.31 μg/mL). An average of <13% of enfuvirtide was removed during the dialysis procedure. The incidence of adverse events was comparable for all study groups. Conclusion:Enfuvirtide exposure observed in patients with ESRD requiring dialysis or chronic kidney disease was slightly higher than in patients with normal kidney function and similar to historical Cmax and AUC values from studies in patients with normal kidney function. Thus, enfuvirtide does not require dosage adjustment in patients with impaired kidney function.

Evidence of a drug-drug interaction linked to inhibition of ester hydrolysis by orlistat.

Abstract: Orlistat, a lipase inhibitor taken with meals at doses of 60 mg (available over-the-counter) or 120 mg (prescription only) for treatment of obesity, is known to impair the absorption of fat-soluble molecules. Dalcetrapib, a modulator of cholesteryl ester transfer protein activity, is a lipophilic thioester prodrug. Lipase-induced and pancreatin-induced hydrolysis of dalcetrapib in biorelevant media in vitro was very efficiently inhibited by orlistat. Thus, the potential for orlistat to affect the bioavailability of concomitantly administered dalcetrapib was studied in an open-label 2-cohort study in 24 healthy volunteers as follows: single 600-mg doses of dalcetrapib were administered with increasing doses of orlistat (cohort A: 10, 40, 120 mg; cohort B: 20, 60, 120 mg). Exposure to the active form of dalcetrapib was more than 50% lower when taken with orlistat 60 mg or 120 mg than when taken alone. Similar trends were observed with lower orlistat doses (20 mg and 40 mg). Concomitant administration of orlistat also reduced the pharmacodynamic effects of dalcetrapib treatment on cholesteryl ester transfer protein activity. The interaction exceeds that predicted on the basis of dalcetrapib lipophilicity. These findings demonstrate the potential for large interactions between orlistat and esters that undergo de-esterification in the gastrointestinal tract, independent of lipophilicity.

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of tocilizumab after subcutaneous administration in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVES To investigate the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, safety and efficacy of subcutaneous tocilizumab 162 mg weekly (QW) or every other week (Q2W) in rheumatoid arthritis patients on methotrexate. METHODS This was a multicenter, open-label, randomized, parallel group study. Patients were randomly assigned to receive tocilizumab 162 mg subcutaneously QW or Q2W for 12 weeks. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic measurements were taken from baseline through to treatment end. Efficacy was assessed at baseline and Q4W thereafter. Safety and tolerability were monitored. RESULTS 29 patients received tocilizumab treatment for 12 weeks. After final QW and Q2W dosing, mean ± SD for Cmax, Cmin and AUC0-168h/0-336h was 39.4 ± 18.1 and 10.7 ± 6.6 μg/ml, 27.9 ± 14.7 and 2.3 ± 3.2 μg/ml and 5,505 ± 2,632 and 2,332 ± 1,696 μg×h/ml. Median tmax was 2 - 3 days. Mean soluble interleukin-6 receptor (sIL-6R) complex concentration increased within 1 week and plateaued (670 ± 211 (QW); 387 ± 194 ng/ml (Q2W)) by final dosing; median C-reactive protein (CRP) levels decreased to below upper limit of normal after first and third doses; mean ± SD (range) reduction in Disease Activity Score using 28 joints at Week 12 was similar between groups (-2.5 ± 1.2 (-4 to -1); -3.1 ± 1.1 (-5 to -2)). Patients experiencing ≥ 1 adverse event were comparable between groups (71% vs. 80%). CONCLUSIONS Greater tocilizumab exposure and sIL-6R elevation and more rapid CRP level normalization occurred with QW than with Q2W dosing. Both regimens demonstrated clinical benefit and were well tolerated.

The effects of enfuvirtide therapy on body composition and metabolic parameters over 48 weeks in the TORO body imaging substudy

The aim of the study was to compare the metabolic and morphological effects of enfuvirtide plus an optimized background (OB) regimen vs. OB alone (control group) in treatment‐experienced patients in the T‐20 vs. Optimized Regimen Only (TORO) studies.

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of tocilizumab, a humanized anti-interleukin-6 receptor monoclonal antibody, following single-dose administration by subcutaneous and intravenous routes to healthy subjects.

OBJECTIVES Tocilizumab, a humanized anti-interleukin-6 receptor (IL-6R) monoclonal antibody, given by intravenous (i.v.) infusion every 4 weeks has been approved for treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The objective of the study was to determine pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) of tocilizumab including absolute PK and PD bioavailabilities following subcutaneous (s.c.) administration. METHODS The PK and PD of tocilizumab 162 mg or 81 mg after single s.c. and i.v. administration were evaluated in an open-label, 4-parallel group study involving 48 healthy subjects (n = 12/group). RESULTS Following single-dose s.c. administration of tocilizumab, area under the serum concentration-time curve (AUC∞) increased by 6.4-fold, and maximum serum concentration (Cmax) increased by 4-fold, as the dose was doubled from 81 mg to 162 mg. Tocilizumab absolute PK bioavailability (AUC∞ ratio (s.c./i.v.)) was higher at 162 mg (48.8%) than at 81 mg (22.7%). Tocilizumab PD bioavailability for soluble IL-6R (sIL-6R) (AUClast ratio (s.c./i.v.)) was 109% at 162 mg and 80.9% at 81 mg. Tocilizumab PD bioavailability for C-reactive protein (CRP) effect was 98.2% (CRP AUC480h ratio) at 162 mg and 80.4% (AUC240h ratio (s.c./i.v.)) at 81 mg. Tocilizumab was well tolerated at both doses after s.c. and i.v. administration. CONCLUSIONS Tocilizumab absolute PK bioavailability for s.c. vs. i.v. administration was low; however, the PD effects for sIL-6R and CRP levels were comparable after 162-mg s.c. and i.v. administration. Therefore, 162 mg s.c. dose is a comparable dose for 162 mg i.v. dose based on PD bioavailability.