Introduction: Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria: (par-uk-SIZ-muhl nok-TURN-uhl hee-muh-gloe-buh-NYOOR-ee-uh) A rare and serious blood disease that causes red blood cells to break apart. Paroxysmal means sudden and irregular. Nocturnal means at night. Hemoglobinuria means hemoglobin in the urine. Hemoglobin is the red part of red blood cells. A… (PNH) is a rare, life-threatening disease characterized by complement-mediated hemolysis hemolysis: (hi-MOL-uh-suss) The destruction of red blood cells. and thrombosis thrombosis: (throm-BOE-suss) A blood clot (thrombus) that develops and attaches to a blood vessel. . Pegcetacoplan Pegcetacoplan: EMPAVELI® is the first PNH treatment that binds to complement protein C3. It was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in May 2021 for treating adult patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH). EMPAVELI is given skin (subcutaneously) by using the Empaveli injector or with an… , the first targeted complement component 3 (C3) PNH therapy, was safe and efficacious in treatment-naive and pre-treated patients with PNH in five clinical trials clinical trials: Clinical research is at the heart of all medical advances, identifying new ways to prevent, detect or treat disease. If you have a bone marrow failure disease, you may want to consider taking part in a clinical trial, also called a research study. Understanding Clinical Trials Clinical… .
Methods: The 307 open-label extension (OLE) study (NCT03531255) is a non-randomized, multicenter extension study of long-term safety and efficacy of pegcetacoplan in adult patients with PNH who completed a pegcetacoplan parent study. All patients received pegcetacoplan. Outcomes at the 48-week data cutoff (week 48 of 307-OLE or August 27, 2021, whichever was earlier) are reported. Hemoglobin Hemoglobin: A protein in the red blood cells. Hemoglobin picks up oxygen in the lungs and brings it to cells in all parts of the body. concentrations, Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Chronic Illness: A medical condition that lasts a long time. A chronic illness can affect a person's lifestyle, ability to work, physical abilities and independence. Therapy (FACIT)-Fatigue scores, and transfusion avoidance were measured. Hemoglobin > 12 g/dL and sex-specific hemoglobin normalization (i.e., male, ≥ 13.6 g/dL; female, ≥ 12 g/dL) were assessed as percentage of patients with data available and no transfusions 60 days before data cutoff. Treatment-emergent adverse events, including hemolysis, were reported.
Results: Data from 137 patients with at least one pegcetacoplan dose at data cutoff were analyzed. Mean (standard deviation [SD]) hemoglobin increased from 8.9 (1.22) g/dL at parent study baseline to 11.6 (2.17) g/dL at 307-OLE entry and 11.6 (1.94) g/dL at data cutoff. At parent study baseline, mean (SD) FACIT-Fatigue score of 34.1 (11.08) was below the general population norm of 43.6; scores improved to 42.8 (8.79) at 307-OLE entry and 42.4 (9.84) at data cutoff. In evaluable patients, hemoglobin > 12 g/dL occurred in 40.2% (43 of 107) and sex-specific hemoglobin normalization occurred in 31.8% (34 of 107) at data cutoff. Transfusion was not required for 114 of 137 patients (83.2%). Hemolysis was reported in 23 patients (16.8%). No thrombotic events or meningococcal infections occurred.
Conclusion: Pegcetacoplan sustained long-term improvements in hemoglobin concentrations, fatigue reduction, and transfusion burden. Long-term safety findings corroborate the favorable profile established for pegcetacoplan.
Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT03531255.
Keywords: Clinical trial Clinical trial: A type of research study that tests how a drug, medical device, or treatment approach works in people. There are several types of clinical trials. Treatment trials test new treatment options. Diagnostic trials test new ways to diagnose a disease. Screening trials test the best way to detect a… ; Complement inhibitor; Eculizumab Eculizumab: Eculizumab (Soliris ®) is given as an IV into a vein at the doctor’s office or at a special center. The procedure usually takes about 35 minutes. You will probably get an IV once a week for the first 4 weeks. Starting in the 5th week, you will get a slightly higher dose of Soliris every 2 weeks. … ; FACIT-Fatigue; Hemoglobin; Open-label extension; Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH); Pegcetacoplan; Thrombosis; Transfusion.