Long-term safety and efficacy of tezepelumab in people with severe, uncontrolled asthma (DESTINATION): a randomised, placebo-controlled extension study

BACKGROUND

Tezepelumab is a human monoclonal antibody that blocks thymic stromal lymphopoietin. The drug has been tested previously in the phase 3 NAVIGATOR (NCT03347279) and SOURCE (NCT03406078) studies, and was subsequently approved as a treatment for severe asthma. This extension study recruited from NAVIGATOR and SOURCE and aimed to evaluate the long-term safety and efficacy of tezepelumab in individuals with severe, uncontrolled asthma.

METHODS

DESTINATION was a phase 3, multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, long-term extension study. The study was done across 182 sites (including hospitals, clinics, medical centres, clinical trial centres, and private practices) in 18 countries. Participants (aged 12-80 years) were required to have good treatment compliance in the parent study. Randomisation was stratified by the parent study and all participants were re-randomised. Those who were previously randomised to receive tezepelumab in either parent study continued treatment of subcutaneous tezepelumab (210 mg every 4 weeks); those who were previously randomised to receive placebo in either parent study were re-randomised 1:1 to receive either subcutaneous tezepelumab (210 mg every 4 weeks) or placebo (every 4 weeks) using a randomisation list prepared by a computerised system. Total treatment duration (including the parent studies) was 104 weeks for all groups. Participants, investigators, and site staff were masked to treatment assignment. The primary endpoints were exposure-adjusted incidence of adverse events and serious adverse events and the secondary endpoint was the annualised asthma exacerbation rate; these were assessed from week 0 of the parent studies to week 104 of DESTINATION in all participants who were randomised and who received at least one dose of tezepelumab or placebo in either of the parent studies. The trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03706079, and is closed to new participants.

FINDINGS

Participants were recruited between Jan 7, 2019, and Oct 15, 2020. For individuals who initially received tezepelumab (n=528) in NAVIGATOR, incidence of adverse events over 104 weeks was 49·62 (95% CI 45·16 to 54·39) per 100 patient-years, compared with 62·66 (56·93 to 68·81) for those receiving placebo (n=531; difference -13·04, 95% CI -17·83 to -8·18). For serious adverse events, incidence was 7·85 (6·14 to 9·89) per 100 patient-years for individuals who initially received tezepelumab and 12·45 (9·97 to 15·35) for those who received placebo (difference -4·59, -7·69 to -1·65). In SOURCE, incidence of adverse events was 47·15 (36·06 to 60·56) per 100 patient-years for those who initially received tezepelumab (n=74) and 69·97 (54·54 to 88·40) for those who received placebo (n=76; difference -22·82, -34·77 to -10·01). For serious adverse events, incidence was 13·14 (7·65 to 21·04) per 100 patient-years for those who initially received tezepelumab and 17·99 (10·66 to 28·44) for those who received placebo (difference -4·85, -14·88 to 4·53). Tezepelumab reduced the annualised asthma exacerbation rate over 104 weeks compared with placebo. In participants initially from NAVIGATOR, the annualised asthma exacerbation rate ratio over 104 weeks was 0·42 (95% CI 0·35 to 0·51); in those initially from SOURCE, the ratio over 104 weeks was 0·61 (0·38 to 0·96).

INTERPRETATION

Tezepelumab treatment was well tolerated for up to 2 years and resulted in sustained, clinically meaningful reductions in asthma exacerbations in individuals with severe, uncontrolled asthma. These findings are consistent with previous randomised, placebo-controlled studies and show the long-term safety and sustained efficacy of tezepelumab in individuals with severe, uncontrolled asthma.

FUNDING

AstraZeneca and Amgen.

Frequency of pancreatitis after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography with iopromid or iotrolan: a randomized trial

Blood isotone contrast media is considered to be less toxic to vascular and pancreatic duct endothelium than high-osmolar contrast media. In this study we assessed the impact of a low-osmolar contrast agent compared with a blood isotone product on pancreatic damage induced by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and endoscopic retrograde sphincterotomy (EST). In a prospective trial 42 consecutive ERCP/EST patients were randomized to receive either iopromid, a low-osmolar non-ionic contrast agent (770 mosmol/kg H2O), or iotrolan, a blood-isotone non-ionic product (320 mosmol/kg H2O). The endoscopies were performed by two experienced endoscopists. Forty patients were included in the study. Blood samples were collected before and 40 min, 2, 4, 6 and 24 h after the endoscopic procedure. Samples were analysed for pancreatic serum enzymes, acute-phase proteins and blood counts. A clinical pain score was investigated. Post-ERCP pancreatitis was diagnosed in 2 patients in the iopromid group and in 5 patients in the iotrolan group. There was no significant difference between groups in the time course of pancreatic serum enzymes, acute-phase proteins or in the pain score. Due to the small number of patients in this study, only stronger differences caused by the two contrast media could have led to statistically significant results. We did not observe statistically significant differences in comparing iotrolan and iopromid concerning ERCP/EST-induced pancreatic damage.

Determination of elastase-1 serum levels in post ERCP/EST pancreatic damage

Recently an ELISA using specific antibodies to detect elastase-1 in serum has become available. Earlier studies using a radioimmunoassay reported a prolonged elevation of serum elastase as compared to other pancreatic enzymes in acute pancreatitis. The aim of the present study was to compare the changes of serum levels of ELISA-elastase-1, lipase and amylase in acute pancreatic damage following ERCP. Blood samples were prospectively collected at five time points before and after the endoscopic procedures in 212 patients. Samples were analyzed for pancreatic serum enzymes, acute phase proteins and routine parameters. A pain score was used for clinical evaluation. Relevant post ERCP pancreatic damage was defined as CRP elevation from < 10 mg/l to > 10 mg/l in the presence of persistent abdominal pain without laboratory evidence of cholangitis and without clinical or laboratory signs of pancreatitis before the endoscopic procedures. Elastase-1 time course paralleled the courses of lipase and amylase peeking at six hrs. There was no prolonged elevation of elastase-1. Ten out of 204 patients (4.9%) were found to have relevant pancreatic damage. Depending on the cut off point used, sensitivity/specificity were as follows: lipase 80-100%/30.9-71.6%; amylase 70-90%/44.3-88.7%; elastase-1 60-90%/64.9-81.4%. In conclusion ELISA-elastase-1 is a marker of acute pancreatic damage similar to lipase and amylase. Although elastase-1 may show a better specificity than the other enzymes, this seems to be a matter of definition of the normal range. The determination of serum ELISA-elastase-1 does not provide additional information in acute pancreatic damage as compared to a combination of lipase and amylase.

Diagnostic relevance of interleukin pattern, acute-phase proteins, and procalcitonin in early phase of post-ERCP pancreatitis

Post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) pancreatitis has been suggested as a model for acute pancreatitis (AP), which allows evaluation of early alterations in the time course of the disease. The influence of the clinical course on procalcitonin (PCT), serum amyloid A (SAA), and several proinflammatory and inhibitory cytokines was evaluated in patients with AP following ERCP. Blood samples were prospectively collected from patients undergoing ERCP. The incidence of ERCP-induced pancreatic damage, defined as abdominal complaints, a threefold increase of serum lipase, and elevation of CRP from <10 to >20 mg/liter was 12.8% (12/94). Only mild clinical courses of acute pancreatitis were observed. PCT significantly increased in subjects with post-ERCP pancreatitis after 24 hr. However, PCT levels did not exceed 0.5 ng/ml in any patient. Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA) began to differ from baseline 2 hr after ERCP, followed by interleukin-6 (IL-6, 6 hr), solubilized tumor necrosis factor-alpha receptor II (sTNF-alphaRII, 24 hr) and SAA (24 hr). Interleukin 10 (IL-10) showed marked interindividual variations with no obvious peak. Among all parameters evaluated, only peak values of IL-6 and IL-10 showed significant correlations with the reported pain score (r2 = 0.62/0.78), degree of ampullar irritation (r2 = NS/0.87), and the duration of ERCP (r2 = 0.58/0.76). No correlation was found with the volume of the injected contrast agent. We conclude that IL-10 and IL-6 appear to be useful to monitor patients after ERCP. The absence of any PCT elevation in the present study is in accordance with the clinical course of the patients who suffered from mild pancreatic damage without systemic or infectious complications.

Evaluation of ERCP- and endoscopic sphincterotomy-induced pancreatic damage: a prospective study on the time course and the significance of serum levels of pancreatic secretory enzymes

In the present study the time courses of serum lipase, serum amylase and serum elastase 1 after ERCP/ES as indicators for pancreatic damage were prospectively analysed in 46 cases. The elevations of pancreatic enzymes after ERCP/ES scattered in a wide range and elevations occured which were greater than one hundred times the upper limit of normal. A moderate increment was seen as early as 5 minutes after intubation of the papilla. Elevations above the upper limit of normal were still seen at 24 hours after the procedure. The maxima occurred about 6 hours after the procedure. Lipase was the most sensitive among the parameters tested, nearly 50% of the cases with previously normal values revealed elevated lipase after the procedure. For daily clinical routine a single lipase measurement at 2 hours after the beginning of the ERCP/ES provides valuable information for planning further surveillance. Younger age and high calcium levels seem to be risk factors for ERCP/ES-induced pancreatic damage. The time course of serum lipase seems to be a more reliable criterion for ERCP/ES-induced pancreatic damage than the poorly defined complication of post-ERCP pancreatitis . The high incidence of a measurable pancreatic injury after ERCP/ES provides a sensitive tool for the testing of drugs claimed to be protective for the pancreas and for evaluating new ERCP/ES techniques. Measurement of the serum lipase before, 8 and 24 hours after the procedure, and a detailed description of degree and duration of pain, are necessary for such studies.

Perioperative myocardial injury in patients undergoing aortic valve replacement

In cases of myocardial hypertrophy myocardial protection may be insufficient. In order to determine the factors responsible for myocardial injury we assessed myocardial injury in 54 patients undergoing isolated aortic valve replacement. In all cases hypothermic cardioplegic arrest was induced. At 13 different times we measured the serum level of creatine-kinase (CK), myocardial bound creatine-kinase (CKmb), lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), alpha-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (alpha-HBDH), glutamic oxaloacetic transferase (GOT) and myoglobin. The mean duration of ischemia was 52.6 +/- 16.2 minutes and the mean time of extracorporeal circulation was 85.85 +/- 20.25 minutes. By performance of a multiple regression analysis a significant correlation between ischemia and LDH and alpha-HBDH was found; CK, GOT, LDH and alpha-HBDH correlated with duration of extracorporeal circulation. In none of the patients was a low cardiac output syndrome observed. From our results we conclude that in our study myocardial protection was sufficient and therefore the detrimental effects of extracorporeal circulation were the determining factors of enzyme release.

Enzyme catalytic concentrations in human plasma after a marathon

Blood was obtained from 11 males participating in the Berlin marathon 1986, directly before and after the marathon, and on the three following days. Several observations were made: a) catalytic concentrations (activity) of creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alkaline phosphatase (AP) increased directly after the marathon or on the three following days; b) Cholinesterase (CHE), amylase (AML) and gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT) decreased directly after the marathon; c) the time course of AP and LDH isoenzyme activity after the race indicated an elimination from plasma to lower values than those originally observed before the run.

Systemic short-term fibrinolysis with high-dose streptokinase in acute myocardial infarction: time course of biochemical parameters

The course of plasma catalytic activities of total creatine kinase, creatine kinase isoenzyme MB, total, cytoplasmatic and mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, alpha-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase, glutamate dehydrogenase and concentrations of myoglobin, urea, acidic alpha 1-glycoprotein and creatinine were followed in 33 patients suffering from acute myocardial infarction. All patients were randomized in a double-blind, prospective study. One group (18 patients) was infused with streptokinase 1.5 X 10(6) units/90 minutes; the control group received routine continuous i.v. heparin treatment (1000 units/h). Ten hours after completion of the study protocol, treatment of both groups of patients was continued with heparin, 1000 units/h and Aspisol, 1 g/day2). Streptokinase treatment induced earlier wash-out and therefore earlier peak levels of several enzymes: total creatine kinase (11 hours), creatine kinase isoenzyme MB (6 hours), total and cytoplasmatic aspartate aminotransferase (6 hours) and lactate dehydrogenase (9 hours). Total creatine kinase peak catalytic activity and myoglobin peak concentration were higher in the group receiving thrombolytic therapy. A significantly different course of catalytic activity between both treatment groups was found for total creatine kinase and creatine kinase isoenzyme MB, total and cytosolic aspartate aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase and alpha-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase. The course of mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase catalytic activity was different only 12 hours after the beginning of treatment. The shift of several catalytic activities to an earlier peak level in plasma may indicate reperfusion of ischaemic myocardium due to thrombolytic therapy.

[Comparison of conventional renal clearance values with differently evaluated results of radioisotope nephrography (author's transl)]

81 patients with renal abnormalities or renal disorders of different genesis and severity with and without restricted renal function were investigated by means of the classical PAH- and inulin-clearance. Furthermore a radioisotope nephrography was carried out after application of I 131-Hippuran followed by Cr 51-EDTA. In addition the activity reduction was measured above the shoulder, as well as the activity in serum samples and urine samples gained 30 min after application. A comparison of the clearance values found with those of conventional clearance resulted in poor correlation for I 131-Hippuran (r = 0.54) and no correlation for Cr51-EDTA. Of the many parameters of the radioisotope nephrogram curves only the following are able to give sufficient quantitative functional results: The parameters connected with the rise of the curve between the 48rh and 120rh s and those connected with the slope of the secant. This is also true for the values of activity measured in the urine.