Browsing by Author "Monia, Brett P."

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    Design and Rationale of the Global Phase 3 NEURO-TTRansform Study of Antisense Oligonucleotide AKCEA-TTR-LRx (ION-682884-CS3) in Hereditary Transthyretin-Mediated Amyloid Polyneuropathy
    (SpringerLink, 2021-06) Coelho, Teresa; Ando, Yukio; Benson, Merrill D.; Berk, John L.; Waddington-Cruz, Márcia; Dyck, Peter J.; Gillmore, Julian D.; Khella, Sami L.; Litchy, William J.; Obici, Laura; Monteiro, Cecilia; Tai, Li-Jung; Viney, Nicholas J.; Buchele, Gustavo; Brambatti, Michela; Jung, Shiangtung W.; O’Dea, Louis St. L.; Tsimikas, Sotirios; Schneider, Eugene; Geary, Richard S.; Monia, Brett P.; Gertz, Morie; Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine
    Introduction: AKCEA-TTR-LRx is a ligand-conjugated antisense (LICA) drug in development for the treatment of hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (hATTR), a fatal disease caused by mutations in the transthyretin (TTR) gene. AKCEA-TTR-LRx shares the same nucleotide sequence as inotersen, an antisense medicine approved for use in hATTR polyneuropathy (hATTR-PN). Unlike inotersen, AKCEA-TTR-LRx is conjugated to a triantennary N-acetylgalactosamine moiety that supports receptor-mediated uptake by hepatocytes, the primary source of circulating TTR. This advanced design increases drug potency to allow for lower and less frequent dosing. The NEURO-TTRansform study will investigate whether AKCEA-TTR-LRx is safe and efficacious, with the aim of improving neurologic function and quality of life in hATTR-PN patients. Methods/design: Approximately 140 adults with stage 1 (independent ambulation) or 2 (requires ambulatory support) hATTR-PN are anticipated to enroll in this multicenter, open-label, randomized, phase 3 study. Patients will be assigned 6:1 to AKCEA-TTR-LRx 45 mg subcutaneously every 4 weeks or inotersen 300 mg once weekly until the prespecified week 35 interim efficacy analysis, after which patients receiving inotersen will receive AKCEA-TTR-LRx 45 mg subcutaneously every 4 weeks. All patients will then receive AKCEA-TTR-LRx through the remainder of the study treatment period. The final efficacy analysis at week 66 will compare the AKCEA-TTR-LRx arm with the historical placebo arm from the phase 3 trial of inotersen (NEURO-TTR). The primary outcome measures are between-group differences in the change from baseline in serum TTR, modified Neuropathy Impairment Score + 7, and Norfolk Quality of Life-Diabetic Neuropathy questionnaire. Conclusion: NEURO-TTRansform is designed to determine whether targeted delivery of AKCEA-TTR-LRx to hepatocytes with lower and less frequent doses will translate into clinical and quality-of-life benefits for patients with hATTR-PN.
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    Hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis: baseline characteristics of patients in the NEURO-TTR trial
    (Taylor & Francis, 2018-07-03) Waddington-Cruz, Marcia; Ackermann, Elizabeth J.; Polydefkis, Michael; Heitner, Stephen B.; Dyck, Peter J.; Barroso, Fabio A.; Wang, Annabel K.; Berk, John L.; Dyck, P. James B.; Monia, Brett P.; Hughes, Steven G.; Tai, Li; Kwoh, T. Jesse; Jung, Shiangtung W.; Coelho, Teresa; Benson, Merrill D.; Gertz, Morie A.; Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine
    Background: Hereditary transthyretin (ATTRm) amyloidosis is a rare, progressive and fatal disease with a range of clinical manifestations.Objective: This study comprehensively evaluates disease characteristics in a large, diverse cohort of patients with ATTRm amyloidosis.Methods: Adult patients (N = 172) with Stage 1 or Stage 2 ATTRm amyloidosis who had polyneuropathy were screened and enrolled across 24 investigative sites and 10 countries in the NEURO-TTR trial (www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01737398). Medical and disease history, quality of life, laboratory data, and clinical assessments were analyzed.Results: The NEURO-TTR patient population was diverse in age, disease severity, TTR mutation, and organ involvement. Twenty-seven different TTR mutations were present, with Val30Met being the most common (52%). One third of patients reported early onset disease (before age 50) and the average duration of neuropathy symptoms was 5.3 years. Symptoms affected multiple organs and systems, with nearly 70% of patients exhibiting broad involvement of weakness, sensory loss, and autonomic disturbance. Over 60% of patients had cardiomyopathy, with highest prevalence in the United States (72%) and lowest in South America/Australasia (33%). Cardiac biomarker NT-proBNP correlated with left ventricular wall thickness (p<.001). Quality of life, measured by Norfolk QoL-DN and SF-36 patient-reported questionnaires, was significantly impaired and correlated with disease severity.Conclusions: Baseline data from the NEURO-TTR trial demonstrates ATTRm amyloidosis as a systemic disease with deficits in multiple organs and body systems, leading to decreased quality of life. We report concomitant presentation of polyneuropathy and cardiomyopathy in most patients, and early involvement of multiple body systems.
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    Inotersen Treatment for Patients with Hereditary Transthyretin Amyloidosis
    (MMS, 2018-07) Benson, Merrill D.; Waddington-Cruz, Márcia; Berk, John L.; Polydefkis, Michael; Dyck, Peter J.; Wang, Annabel K.; Planté-Bordeneuve, Violaine; Barroso, Fabio A.; Merlini, Giampaolo; Obici, Laura; Scheinberg, Morton; Brannagan, Thomas H., III; Litchy, William J.; Whelan, Carol; Drachman, Brian M.; Adams, David; Heitner, Stephen B.; Conceição, Isabel; Schmidt, Hartmut H.; Vita, Giuseppe; Campistol, Josep M.; Gamez, Josep; Gorevic, Peter D.; Gane, Edward; Shah, Amil M.; Solomon, Scott D.; Monia, Brett P.; Hughes, Steven G.; Kwoh, Jesse; McEvoy, Bradley W.; Jung, Shiangtung W.; Baker, Brenda F.; Ackermann, Elizabeth J.; Gertz, Morie A.; Coelho, Teresa; Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine
    BACKGROUND Hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis is caused by pathogenic single-nucleotide variants in the gene encoding transthyretin (TTR) that induce transthyretin misfolding and systemic deposition of amyloid. Progressive amyloid accumulation leads to multiorgan dysfunction and death. Inotersen, a 2′-O-methoxyethyl–modified antisense oligonucleotide, inhibits hepatic production of transthyretin. METHODS We conducted an international, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 15-month, phase 3 trial of inotersen in adults with stage 1 (patient is ambulatory) or stage 2 (patient is ambulatory with assistance) hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis with polyneuropathy. Patients were randomly assigned, in a 2:1 ratio, to receive weekly subcutaneous injections of inotersen (300 mg) or placebo. The primary end points were the change in the modified Neuropathy Impairment Score+7 (mNIS+7; range, −22.3 to 346.3, with higher scores indicating poorer function; minimal clinically meaningful change, 2 points) and the change in the score on the patient-reported Norfolk Quality of Life–Diabetic Neuropathy (QOL-DN) questionnaire (range, −4 to 136, with higher scores indicating poorer quality of life). A decrease in scores indicated improvement. RESULTS A total of 172 patients (112 in the inotersen group and 60 in the placebo group) received at least one dose of a trial regimen, and 139 (81%) completed the intervention period. Both primary efficacy assessments favored inotersen: the difference in the least-squares mean change from baseline to week 66 between the two groups (inotersen minus placebo) was −19.7 points (95% confidence interval [CI], −26.4 to −13.0; P<0.001) for the mNIS+7 and −11.7 points (95% CI, −18.3 to −5.1; P<0.001) for the Norfolk QOL-DN score. These improvements were independent of disease stage, mutation type, or the presence of cardiomyopathy. There were five deaths in the inotersen group and none in the placebo group. The most frequent serious adverse events in the inotersen group were glomerulonephritis (in 3 patients [3%]) and thrombocytopenia (in 3 patients [3%]), with one death associated with one of the cases of grade 4 thrombocytopenia. Thereafter, all patients received enhanced monitoring. CONCLUSIONS Inotersen improved the course of neurologic disease and quality of life in patients with hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis. Thrombocytopenia and glomerulonephritis were managed with enhanced monitoring.
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    Ligand conjugated antisense oligonucleotide for the treatment of transthyretin amyloidosis: preclinical and phase 1 data
    (Wiley, 2021) Viney, Nicholas J.; Guo, Shuling; Tai, Li-Jung; Baker, Brenda F.; Aghajan, Mariam; Jung, Shiangtung W.; Yu, Rosie Z.; Booten, Sheri; Murray, Heather; Machemer, Todd; Burel, Sebastien; Murray, Sue; Buchele, Gustavo; Tsimikas, Sotirios; Schneider, Eugene; Geary, Richard S.; Benson, Merrill D.; Monia, Brett P.; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Aims: Amyloidogenic transthyretin (ATTR) amyloidosis is a fatal disease characterized by progressive cardiomyopathy and/or polyneuropathy. AKCEA-TTR-LRx (ION-682884) is a ligand-conjugated antisense drug designed for receptor-mediated uptake by hepatocytes, the primary source of circulating transthyretin (TTR). Enhanced delivery of the antisense pharmacophore is expected to increase drug potency and support lower, less frequent dosing in treatment. Methods and results: AKCEA-TTR-LRx demonstrated an approximate 50-fold and 30-fold increase in potency compared with the unconjugated antisense drug, inotersen, in human hepatocyte cell culture and mice expressing a mutated human genomic TTR sequence, respectively. This increase in potency was supported by a preferential distribution of AKCEA-TTR-LRx to liver hepatocytes in the transgenic hTTR mouse model. A randomized, placebo-controlled, phase 1 study was conducted to evaluate AKCEA-TTR-LRx in healthy volunteers (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03728634). Eligible participants were assigned to one of three multiple-dose cohorts (45, 60, and 90 mg) or a single-dose cohort (120 mg), and then randomized 10:2 (active : placebo) to receive a total of 4 SC doses (Day 1, 29, 57, and 85) in the multiple-dose cohorts or 1 SC dose in the single-dose cohort. The primary endpoint was safety and tolerability; pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics were secondary endpoints. All randomized participants completed treatment. No serious adverse events were reported. In the multiple-dose cohorts, AKCEA-TTR-LRx reduced TTR levels from baseline to 2 weeks after the last dose of 45, 60, or 90 mg by a mean (SD) of -85.7% (8.0), -90.5% (7.4), and -93.8% (3.4), compared with -5.9% (14.0) for pooled placebo (P < 0.001). A maximum mean (SD) reduction in TTR levels of -86.3% (6.5) from baseline was achieved after a single dose of 120 mg AKCEA-TTR-LRx . Conclusions: These findings suggest an improved safety and tolerability profile with the increase in potency achieved by productive receptor-mediated uptake of AKCEA-TTR-LRx by hepatocytes and supports further development of AKCEA-TTR-LRx for the treatment of ATTR polyneuropathy and cardiomyopathy.