Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of three dosing regimens of agalsidase alfa enzyme replacement therapy in adults with Fabry disease

Lubor Goláň,1 Ozlem Goker-Alpan,2 Myrl Holida,3 Ikka Kantola,4 Mariusz Klopotowski,5 Johanna Kuusisto,6 Aleš Linhart,1 Jacek Musial,7 Kathleen Nicholls,8 Derlis Gonzalez-Rodriguez,9 Reena Sharma,10 Bojan Vujkovac,11 Peter Chang,12 Anna Wijatyk12 1First Faculty of Medicine, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic; 2Lysosomal Research and Treatment Unit, Fairfax, VA, USA; 3Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, Division of Medical Genetics, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA, USA; 4Division of Medicine, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland; 5Institute of Cardiology, Warsaw, Poland; 6Department of Medicine, Center for Medicine and Clinical Research, University of Eastern Finland and Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland; 7Department of Internal Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland; 8Department of Nephrology, Royal Melbourne Hospital and the University of Melbourne, VIC, Australia; 9Instituto Privado de Hematologia E Investigacion Clinica (IPHIC), Asuncion, Paraguay; 10Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, Salford, UK; 11General Hospital Slovenj Gradec, Slovenj Gradec, Slovenia; 12Shire, Lexington, MA, USA Purpose: Efficacy and safety of agalsidase alfa at 0.2 mg/kg weekly were compared with 0.2 mg/kg every other week (EOW). Exploratory analyses were performed for 0.4 mg/kg weekly.Patients and methods: This was a 53-week, Phase III/IV, multicenter, open-label study (NCT01124643) in treatment-naïve adults (≥18 years) with Fabry disease. Inclusion criteria were left ventricular hypertrophy at baseline, defined as left ventricular mass indexed to height >50 g/m2.7 for males and >47 g/m2.7 for females. Primary endpoint was reduction of left ventricular mass indexed to height as assessed by echocardiography. Secondary endpoints included cardiac (peak oxygen consumption, 6-minute walk test, Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire, New York Heart Association classification), renal (Modification of Diet in Renal Disease, estimated glomerular filtration rate), and biomarker (plasma globotriaosylceramide) assessments. Safety endpoints were adverse events and anti–agalsidase alfa antibodies.Results: Twenty patients were randomized to 0.2 mg/kg EOW (mean age, 50.3 years; 70% male), 19 to 0.2 mg/kg weekly (51.8 years; 53% male), and 5 to 0.4 mg/kg weekly (49.4 years; 40% male). The mean change in left ventricular mass indexed to height by Week 53 in the 0.2-mg/kg EOW and weekly groups was 3.2 g/m2.7 and 0.5 g/m2.7, with no significant difference between groups. No clinically meaningful changes by Week 53 were found within or between the 0.2-mg/kg groups for peak oxygen consumption, 6-minute walk test, or Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire. Two patients in each group improved by ≥1 New York Heart Association classi­fication. No significant differences were found between 0.2 mg/kg EOW and weekly for mean change in estimated glomerular filtration rate (-1.21 mL/min/1.73 m2 vs -3.32 mL/min/1.73 m2) or plasma globotriaosylceramide (-1.05 nmol/mL vs -2.13 nmol/mL), respectively. Infusion-related adverse events were experienced by 25% and 21% in the 0.2-mg/kg EOW and weekly groups. Tachycardia, fatigue, and hypotension were experienced by two or more patients overall. Anti–agalsidase alfa antibodies were detected in 11.4% of patients and neutralizing antibodies in 6.8%. Infusion-related reactions did not appear to be correlated with antibody status.Conclusion: No efficacy or safety differences were found when the approved EOW dosage of agalsidase alfa was increased to weekly administration. Exploratory analyses for 0.4 mg/kg weekly showed similar results. Keywords: adverse events, exercise tolerance, left ventricular hypertrophy, lysosomal storage disorder, quality of life, renal functio

The coincidence of IgA nephropathy and Fabry disease

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is the most common glomerulonephritis, which may also coexist with other diseases. We present two patients with an unusual coincidence of IgAN and Fabry disease (FD).</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 26 year-old man underwent a renal biopsy in February 2001. Histopathology showed very advanced IgAN and vascular changes as a result of hypertension. Because of his progressive renal insufficiency the patient began hemodialysis in August 2001. By means of the blood spot test screening method the diagnosis of FD was suspected. Low activity of alpha-galactosidase A in the patient’s plasma and leukocytes and DNA analysis confirmed the diagnosis of FD. Enzyme replacement therapy started in July 2004. Then the patient underwent kidney transplantation in November 2005. Currently, his actual serum creatinine level is 250 μmol/l. Other organ damages included hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, neuropathic pain and febrile crisis. After enzyme replacement therapy, myocardial hypertrophy has stabilized and other symptoms have disappeared. No further progression of the disease has been noted.</p> <p>The other patient, a 30 year-old woman, suffered from long-term hematuria with a good renal function. Recently, proteinuria (2.6 g/day) appeared and a renal biopsy was performed. Histopathology showed IgAN with remarkably enlarged podocytes. A combination of IgAN and a high suspicion of FD was diagnosed. Electron microscopy revealed dense deposits in paramesangial areas typical for IgAN and podocytes with inclusive zebra bodies and myelin figures characteristic of FD. FD was confirmed by the decreased alpha-galactosidase A activity in plasma and leukocytes and by DNA and RNA analysis. Enzyme replacement therapy and family screening were initiated.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results emphasize the role of complexity in the process of diagnostic evaluation of kidney biopsy samples. Electron microscopy represents an integral part of histopathology, and genetic analysis plays a more and more important role in the final diagnosis, which is followed by causal treatment.</p