A Multicentre Study on the Efficacy, Safety and Pharmacokinetics of IqYmune®, a Highly Purified 10% Liquid Intravenous Immunoglobulin, in Patients with Primary Immune Deficiency

fSCIG 10% in pediatric primary immunodeficiency diseases: a European post-authorization safety study

BACKGROUND

The safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of hyaluronidase-facilitated subcutaneous immunoglobulin (fSCIG) 10% (dual-vial unit of human immunoglobulin 10% and recombinant human hyaluronidase [rHuPH20]) were assessed in children with primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDs).

METHODS

This phase 4, post-authorization, prospective, interventional, multicenter study (NCT03116347) conducted in the European Economic Area, enrolled patients aged 2 to < 18 years with a documented PID diagnosis who had received immunoglobulin therapy for ≥ 3 months before enrollment. New fSCIG 10% starters underwent fSCIG 10% dose ramp-up for ≤ 6 weeks (epoch 1) before receiving fSCIG 10% for ≤ 3 years (epoch 2); patients pretreated with fSCIG 10% entered epoch 2 directly. The primary outcome was the number and rate (per infusion) of all noninfectious treatment-related serious and severe adverse events (AEs).

RESULTS

In total, 42 patients were enrolled and dosed (median [range] age: 11.5 [3-17] years; 81% male; 23 new starters; 19 pretreated). Overall, 49 related noninfectious, treatment-emergent AEs (TEAEs) were reported in 15 patients; most were mild in severity (87.8%). No treatment-related serious TEAEs were reported. Two TEAEs (infusion site pain and emotional distress) were reported as severe and treatment-related in a single new fSCIG 10% starter. The rate of local TEAEs was lower in pretreated patients (0.1 event/patient-year) versus new starters (1.3 events/patient-year). No patients tested positive for binding anti-rHuPH20 antibodies (titer of ≥ 1:160).

CONCLUSIONS

No safety signals were identified, and the incidence of local AEs declined over the duration of fSCIG 10% treatment. This study supports fSCIG 10% long-term safety in children with PIDs. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER (CLINICALTRIALS.GOV): NCT03116347.

Low rates of headache and migraine associated with intravenous immunoglobulin infusion using a 15-minute rate escalation protocol in 123 patients with primary immunodeficiency

Introduction

Headache and migraine adverse events are common concerns in the administration of intravenous immune globulins (IVIG). Trials of IVIG for primary immunodeficiency (PI) are typically small and have reported headache and migraine data inconsistently.

Methods

We analyzed headache and migraine in pooled data from three pivotal trials of Gammaplex® 5% and 10% in PI (NCT00278954 from January 18, 2006; NCT01289847 from January 27, 2011; NCT01963143 from September 13, 2013). The trials were pooled in a retrospective analysis that included two 12-month open-label non-comparative trials of the 5% IVIG product and one 6-month open-label crossover bioequivalence trial comparing the 5% IVIG and 10% IVIG products. The population included adult and pediatric patients, who received IVIG infusions of 300-800 mg/kg/infusion every 21 or 28 days using a 15-minute rate escalation protocol.

Results

In total, 1482 infusions were administered to 123 patients, with 94.6% of infusions achieving the maximum infusion rate. At least one product-related headache was reported in 6.1% (90/1482) of infusions. At least one product-related migraine was reported in 0.5% (7/1482) of infusions. Headache rates were higher for adults vs pediatric patients, females vs males, and 21-day vs 28-day dosing schedules, but were similar for the 5% and 10% IVIG products. Most headaches and migraines occurred during or within 72 hours of the infusion. Rates decreased after the first few infusions.

Discussion

Patients receiving this IVIG product on a 15-minute rate escalation protocol had low rates of headache and migraine for both the 5% and 10% formulations.

Efficacy, safety and pharmacokinetics of a new 10% normal human immunoglobulin for intravenous infusion, BT595, in children and adults with primary immunodeficiency disease

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the efficacy, safety and pharmacokinetics of a new, highly purified 10% IVIg (BT595, Yimmugo®) administered in children and adults with Primary immunodeficiency diseases (PID).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Prospective, uncontrolled, multicentre Phase III trial. Patients aged 2 to <76 years with PID were switched from their pre-trial IVIg replacement therapy to BT595. In all, 67 patients (49 adults, 18 children) received doses between 0.2 and 0.8 g/kg body weight for approximately 12 months at intervals of 3 or 4 weeks. Dosing and dosing intervals were based on each patient's pre-trial infusion schedule. The primary end point was the rate of acute serious bacterial infections (SBIs); secondary efficacy, safety and pharmacokinetic outcomes were also evaluated.

RESULTS

The primary efficacy end point was met, and the unadjusted SBI rate was 0.01 per subject-year (adjusted SBI rate 0.015 per subject-year, with an upper limit of the one-sided 99% confidence interval of 0.151). A single adult patient experienced one event classified as an SBI. All secondary end points, including those related to infections, supported the efficacy. Infusion rates were increased up to 8 ml/kg/h. Overall, 8% of infusions were associated with ≥1 infusional adverse event (AE) (start during or within 72 h post-infusion), comprising mainly headache (2.4%), fatigue (0.9%) and nausea (0.5%). There were no infusional AEs at infusion rates of >4.0 ml/kg/h, and only one patient required a single premedication. The observed patterns, severity and frequency of treatment-emergent adverse events are consistent with the established safety profile for IVIgs and did not show clinically relevant differences between all age groups.

CONCLUSION

BT595 is effective, safe and well tolerated for treating patients with PID.

Impact of the J Project on progress of primary immunodeficiency care in Ukraine

The J Project is a Central-Eastern European collaborative program in the field of physician education and clinical research aimed at improving the clinical care and diagnosis of primary immunodeficiency disorders (PIDs). Ukraine was one of the first to participate in the project, which allowed us to join the whole European PID community. Since 2004, the country has been holding annual J Project meetings with the involvement of new regions. The spread of the J Project impact has contributed to significantly improved early PID diagnosis in Ukraine. Progress has been made not only in identifying patients but also in arranging the treatment. The assistance in genetic diagnosis made it possible to detect PIDs, study their features, and improve approaches to the management. This also gave an impetus to the development of regional PID centers and participation in scientific research. Of utmost importance is the cooperation with colleagues from Poland, Hungary, and Belarus, who are active members of the J Project.

International consensus statement on allergy and rhinology: rhinosinusitis 2021

I.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

BACKGROUND: The 5 years since the publication of the first International Consensus Statement on Allergy and Rhinology: Rhinosinusitis (ICAR-RS) has witnessed foundational progress in our understanding and treatment of rhinologic disease. These advances are reflected within the more than 40 new topics covered within the ICAR-RS-2021 as well as updates to the original 140 topics. This executive summary consolidates the evidence-based findings of the document.

METHODS

ICAR-RS presents over 180 topics in the forms of evidence-based reviews with recommendations (EBRRs), evidence-based reviews, and literature reviews. The highest grade structured recommendations of the EBRR sections are summarized in this executive summary.

RESULTS

ICAR-RS-2021 covers 22 topics regarding the medical management of RS, which are grade A/B and are presented in the executive summary. Additionally, 4 topics regarding the surgical management of RS are grade A/B and are presented in the executive summary. Finally, a comprehensive evidence-based management algorithm is provided.

CONCLUSION

This ICAR-RS-2021 executive summary provides a compilation of the evidence-based recommendations for medical and surgical treatment of the most common forms of RS.

An international multicenter efficacy and safety study of IqYmune in initial and maintenance treatment of patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy: PRISM study

This prospective, multicenter, single‐arm, open‐label phase 3 study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of IqYmune in patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP). Patients received one induction dose of 2 g/kg and then seven maintenance doses of 1 g/kg at 3‐week intervals. The primary endpoint was the responder rate at the end of study (EOS), defined as an improvement of ≥1 point on the adjusted inflammatory neuropathy cause and treatment (INCAT) disability scale. The responder rate was compared with the responder rate of a historical placebo group (33.3%). Secondary endpoints included changes from baseline to EOS of adjusted INCAT disability score, grip strength, Medical Research Council (MRC) sum score, Rasch‐modified MRC sum score, Rasch‐built overall disability scale score and the clinical global impression. Forty‐two patients, including 23 Ig‐naïve and 19 Ig‐pre‐treated, were included in the efficacy set. The overall response rate at EOS was 76.2% (95% confidence interval [60.5%‐87.9%]). The superiority of IqYmune compared to the historical placebo control was demonstrated (P < .0001). The responder rate was numerically higher in Ig‐pre‐treated than in Ig‐naïve patients but confidence intervals were overlapping (84.2% [60.4%‐96.6%] vs 69.6% [47.1%‐86.8%]). All secondary endpoints confirmed this conclusion. The median time to response was 15 weeks [8.9‐19.1 weeks]. A total of 156 adverse events including five serious were considered related to IqYmune, 87.2% were mild. Neither hemolysis nor signs of renal or hepatic impairment were observed. These results demonstrate that IqYmune is an effective and well‐tolerated treatment in patients with CIDP.

Efficacy and safety of high infusion rate IVIG in CIDP

BACKGROUND

We aimed to determine the safety and tolerance of higher rates of infusion of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) in patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP).

METHODS

Patients began infusions with 10% IVIG at the standard rate of 0.08 mL/kg/min. If tolerated, infusion rates were incrementally increased to 0.14 mL/kg/min. We considered the frequency of infusions with adverse events (AEs) as the primary outcome.

RESULTS

Nineteen of 25 patients safely tolerated the maximum rate of 0.14 mL/kg/min. We observed 25 treatment-related AEs (TAEs) over 13 infusions at standard or transitional rates, across seven patients. We observed no TAEs associated with the maximum infusion rate.

CONCLUSIONS

We found that 10% IVIG can be safely administered at a high infusion rate (0.14 ml/kg/min) in most CIDP patients, reducing the treatment time and burden on healthcare resources.

A Systematic Review and Meta-regression Analysis on the Impact of Increasing IgG Trough Level on Infection Rates in Primary Immunodeficiency Patients on Intravenous IgG Therapy

PURPOSE

We conducted a systematic review and meta-regression analysis to evaluate the impact of increasing immunoglobulin G (IgG) trough levels on the clinical outcomes in patients with PID receiving intravenous immunoglobulin G (IVIG) treatment.

METHODS

Systematic search was conducted in PubMed and Cochrane. Other relevant articles were searched by reviewing the references of the reviewed article. All clinical trials with documented IgG trough levels and clinical outcome of interest in patients receiving IVIG treatment were eligible to be included in this review. Meta-regression analysis was conducted using Comprehensive Meta-analysis Software. Additional sensitivity analyses were undertaken to evaluate the robustness of the overall results.

RESULTS

Twenty-eight clinical studies with 1218 patients reported from year 2001 to 2018 were included. The mean IVIG dose used ranges from 387 to 560 mg/kg every 3 to 4 weekly, and mean IgG trough obtained ranges from 660 to 1280 mg/dL. Random-effects meta-regression slope shows that IgG trough level increases significantly by 73 mg/dL with every increase of 100 mg/kg dose of IVIG (p < 0.05). Overall infection rates reduced significantly by 13% with every increment of 100 mg/dL of IgG trough up to 960 mg/dL (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

This meta-analysis concludes that titrating the IgG trough levels up to 960 mg/dL progressively reduces the rate of infections, and there is less additional benefit beyond that. Further studies to validate this result are required before it can be used in clinical practice.

Impact of IVIG vs. SCIG on IgG trough level and infection incidence in primary immunodeficiency diseases: A systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical studies

Background

Monthly intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and weekly subcutaneous immunoglobulin (SCIG) have been regarded as therapeutically equivalent treatments for primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDD). Immunoglobulin G (IgG) trough level is used as a monitoring measure for infection prevention.

Objective

A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to elucidate the relationship between IgG dosing, trough IgG levels with overall infection incidence in patients with PIDD receiving IVIG and SCIG therapy.

Methods

Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane, Central, and Scopus were searched for studies published from Jan 2010-June 2018, fulfilling the inclusion criteria. DerSimonian and Laird random-effects method were used to pool the difference of IgG trough levels. Random-effect meta-regression was used to evaluate infection incidence per 100 mg/dl IgG trough increase though IVIG and SCIG.

Results

Out of 24 observational studies included, 11 compared IgG trough levels among SCIG and IVIG (mean difference: 73.4 mg/dl, 95% CI: 31.67-119.19 mg/dl, I2 = 45%, p = 0.05), favoring weekly SCIG. For every 100 mg/dl increase in the trough, a linear trend of decreased incidence rates of infection was identified in SCIG patients (p = 0.03), but no similar trend was identified in trough levels vs. infection rates for patients receiving IVIG (p = 0.67).

Conclusion

In our study, weekly SCIG attained a higher trough level in comparison to monthly IVIG. Higher SCIG troughs were associated with lower infection rates, while IVIG troughs demonstrated no relationship.

IqYmune® is an effective maintenance treatment for multifocal motor neuropathy: A randomised, double-blind, multi-center cross-over non-inferiority study vs Kiovig®-The LIME Study

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) is the gold‐standard for maintenance treatment of multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN). This phase III, randomised, double‐blind, multi‐centre, active‐control, crossover study, aimed to evaluate the non‐inferiority of IqYmune® relative to Kiovig®, primarily based on efficacy criteria. Twenty‐two adult MMN patients, treated with any brand of IVIg (except Kiovig® or IqYmune®) at a stable maintenance dose within the range of 1 to 2 g/kg every 4 to 8 weeks, were randomised to receive either Kiovig® followed by IqYmune®, or IqYmune® followed by Kiovig®. Each product was administered for 24 weeks. The primary endpoint was the difference between IqYmune® and Kiovig® in mean assessments of modified Medical Research Council (MMRC) 10 sum score (strength of 5 upper‐limb and 5 lower‐limb muscle groups, on both sides, giving a score from 0 to 100) during the evaluation period (non‐inferiority margin of Δ = 2). A linear mixed model analysis demonstrated the non‐inferiority of IqYmune® relative to Kiovig®, independently of the covariates (value at baseline, treatment period, and treatment sequence). The estimated “IqYmune® − Kiovig®” difference was −0.01, with a 95% confidence interval (CI) −0.51 to 0.48. The number of adverse reactions (ARs) and the percentage of patients affected were similar for the two products: 39 ARs in 10 patients with IqYmune® vs 32 ARs in 11 patients with Kiovig®. No thromboembolic events nor haemolysis nor renal impairment were observed. In this first clinical trial comparing two IVIg brands for maintenance treatment of MMN, efficacy and tolerability of both brands were similar.