Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of JR-051, a biosimilar of agalsidase beta, in healthy adults and patients with Fabry disease: Phase I and II/III clinical studies

Survey of Data Package and Sample Size of Comparative Clinical Studies for Biosimilar Developments from PMDA Assessments

BACKGROUND

The Japanese biosimilar guideline requires that the sponsors conduct clinical studies such as comparative pharmacokinetic (PK), pharmacodynamic (PD), or efficacy studies. In each biosimilar development, the sponsors consider the clinical data package, and thus clinical data packages vary among biosimilar developments.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to elucidate the clinical data packages for the biosimilars approved in Japan. The details of clinical data packages and sample size for the regulatory approvals of biosimilars in Japan was reported.

METHODS

We surveyed the clinical data packages and sample size based on the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) website review reports between 2009 and 2023.

RESULTS

Twenty-four biosimilars have been approved based on the comparative PK and efficacy studies, 10 biosimilars have been approved based on the comparative PK/PD study, and one biosimilar has been approved based on the comparative efficacy study. Regarding the sample size, comparative PK studies were conducted in healthy volunteers or patients for up to 300 cases, although the majority enrolled only 1-100 cases (68.1%, 32/47). Comparative PD studies enrolling 1-30, 31-60, and 61-90 cases totaled 4, 7, and 4 cases, respectively. Finally, comparative efficacy studies enrolling 1-300, 301-600, and 601-900 totaled 6, 10, and 11 cases, respectively. In particular, the oncology and rheumatology areas were the first and second disease areas recruiting 601-900 patients.

CONCLUSION

Large numbers of patients were enrolled to conduct a comparative efficacy study. Efficient biosimilar development should be considered on the basis of the accumulation of scientific understanding of comparable features of biosimilars and their development.

Anderson-Fabry disease management: role of the cardiologist

Anderson-Fabry disease (AFD) is a lysosomal storage disorder characterized by glycolipid accumulation in cardiac cells, associated with a peculiar form of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Up to 1% of patients with a diagnosis of HCM indeed have AFD. With the availability of targeted therapies for sarcomeric HCM and its genocopies, a timely differential diagnosis is essential. Specifically, the therapeutic landscape for AFD is rapidly evolving and offers increasingly effective, disease-modifying treatment options. However, diagnosing AFD may be difficult, particularly in the non-classic phenotype with prominent or isolated cardiac involvement and no systemic red flags. For many AFD patients, the clinical journey from initial clinical manifestations to diagnosis and appropriate treatment remains challenging, due to late recognition or utter neglect. Consequently, late initiation of treatment results in an exacerbation of cardiac involvement, representing the main cause of morbidity and mortality, irrespective of gender. Optimal management of AFD patients requires a dedicated multidisciplinary team, in which the cardiologist plays a decisive role, ranging from the differential diagnosis to the prevention of complications and the evaluation of timing for disease-specific therapies. The present review aims to redefine the role of cardiologists across the main decision nodes in contemporary AFD clinical care and drug discovery.

Treatment of Fabry Nephropathy: A Literature Review

Fabry disease is an X-linked inherited lysosomal storage disorder with a deficiency of α-galactosidase A activity, which results in the intracellular accumulation of globotriaosylceramide (Gb3) and related glycosphingolipids in various organs. Fabry nephropathy is one of the major complications of Fabry disease, and kidney damage is often related to cardiovascular disease and mortality. The treatment of Fabry nephropathy thus helps prolong life expectancy. Two treatment options for Fabry nephropathy and cardiopathy are now commercially available: enzyme replacement therapy (agalsidase α agalsidase β, and a biosimilar of agalsidase β) and pharmacological chaperone therapy (migalastat). In this review, we summarize the efficacy of these treatment options for Fabry nephropathy with respect to renal function, proteinuria, and renal pathological findings. We also describe the importance of adjunctive therapy for Fabry nephropathy.

[Research advances in pharmacotherapy for rare diseases in children]

There are more than 7 000 rare diseases and approximately 475 million individuals with rare diseases globally, with children accounting for two-thirds of this population. Due to a relatively small patient population and limited financial resources allocated for drug research and development in pharmaceutical enterprises, there are still no drugs approved for the treatment of several thousands of these rare diseases. At present, there are no drugs for 95% of the patients with rare diseases, and consequently, the therapeutic drugs for rare diseases have been designated as orphan drugs. In order to guide pharmaceutical enterprises to strengthen the research and development of orphan drugs, various nations have enacted the acts for rare disease drugs, promoted and simplified the patent application process for orphan drugs, and provided scientific recommendations and guidance for the research and development of orphan drugs. Since there is a relatively high incidence rate of rare diseases in children, this article reviews the latest research on pharmacotherapy for children with rare diseases.

Development of a Biosimilar of Agalsidase Beta for the Treatment of Fabry Disease: Preclinical Evaluation

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Fabry disease (FD) is a rare lysosomal storage disorder caused by a deficiency of the enzyme α-galactosidase A (aGal A). Since 2001, two different enzyme replacement therapies have been authorized, with agalsidase beta being used in most parts of the Western world. Currently, biosimilars of several expensive enzyme therapies are under development to improve their accessibility for patients. We present the preclinical results of the development of a biosimilar to agalsidase beta.

METHODS

Produced in a Chinese hamster ovary (CHO)-cell system, the biosimilar aGal A Biosidus (AGABIO), was compared with agalsidase beta with respect to amino acid sequence, glycosylation, specific α-galactosidase activity, stability in plasma, and effects on cultured human Fabry fibroblasts and Fabry mice.

RESULTS

AGABIO had the same amino acid composition and similar glycosylation, enzymatic activity, and stability as compared with agalsidase beta. After uptake in fibroblasts, α-galactosidase A activity increased in a dose-dependent manner, with maximum uptake observed after 24 h, which remained stable until at least 48 h. Both enzymes were localized to lysosomes. Reduction of accumulated globotriaosylceramide (Gb3) and lysoGb3 in cultured Fabry fibroblasts by AGABIO and agalsidase beta showed comparable dose-response curves. In Fabry knockout mice, after a single injection, both enzymes were rapidly cleared from the plasma and showed equal reductions in tissue and plasma sphingolipids. Repeated dose studies in rats did not raise any safety concerns. Anti-drug antibodies from patients with FD treated with agalsidase beta showed equal neutralization activity toward AGABIO.

CONCLUSION

These findings support the biosimilarity of AGABIO in comparison with agalsidase beta. The clinical study phase is currently under development.

Fabry Disease and Its Management: A Literature Analysis

A review was conducted to evaluate interventional therapy for Fabry disease. Fabry disease is a multisystemic X-linked storage disorder that affects the entire body and needs to be treated at an early age. The search was conducted using keywords such as "Fabry disease" and "Management" to review the databases. Seven studies were chosen from the 90 studies, and it was discovered that migalastat and enzyme replacement medication were successful in treating the condition, whereas agalsidase beta failed to have a positive effect on the patient. However, this analysis produced ambiguous conclusions. As only a small number of studies were included in the analysis, additional investigations and evaluations based on randomized controlled trials and case studies are required to determine potential drug-related outcomes. There is a need for future therapeutic research to cure genetically affected illnesses and diseases such as Fabry disease.

Enzyme Replacement Therapy for Genetic Disorders Associated with Enzyme Deficiency

Mutations in human genes might lead to loss of functional proteins, causing diseases. Among these genetic disorders, a large class is associated with the deficiency in metabolic enzymes, resulting in both an increase in the concentration of substrates and a loss in the metabolites produced by the catalyzed reactions. The identification of therapeutic actions based on small molecules represents a challenge to medicinal chemists because the target is missing. Alternative approaches are biology-based, ranging from gene and stem cell therapy, CRISPR/Cas9 technology, distinct types of RNAs, and enzyme replacement therapy (ERT). This review will focus on the latter approach that since the 1990s has been successfully applied to cure many rare diseases, most of them being lysosomal storage diseases or metabolic diseases. So far, a dozen enzymes have been approved by FDA/EMA for lysosome storage disorders and only a few for metabolic diseases. Enzymes for replacement therapy are mainly produced in mammalian cells and some in plant cells and yeasts and are further processed to obtain active, highly bioavailable, less degradable products. Issues still under investigation for the increase in ERT efficacy are the optimization of enzymes interaction with cell membrane and internalization, the reduction in immunogenicity, and the overcoming of blood-brain barrier limitations when neuronal cells need to be targeted. Overall, ERT has demonstrated its efficacy and safety in the treatment of many genetic rare diseases, both saving newborn lives and improving patients' life quality, and represents a very successful example of targeted biologics.