305 research outputs found

    An evidence-based review of the potential benefits of taliglucerase alfa in the treatment of patients with Gaucher disease

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    Gaucher disease is an inherited lysosomal storage disorder, characterized by deficient activity of glucocerebrosidase leading to storage of glucocerebroside in tissue macrophages. Type I disease, the most prevalent form, lacks central nervous system involvement but presents primarily with variable degrees of hepatosplenomegaly, cytopenia, and bone disease. Intravenous enzyme replacement therapy can reverse these manifestations. In addition to the two enzymes currently authorized for use, the newest enzyme, taliglucerase alfa, is at the late stages of clinical development. Taliglucerase alfa is a unique product, as it is the first plant cell–based recombinant enzyme therapy. This review considers the existing evidence for therapeutic efficacy of taliglucerase alfa in the treatment of the non-neuronopathic manifestations of Gaucher disease. Clinical studies encompass one phase I trial in healthy volunteers, one phase III trial, and preliminary results from both an extension study and a switch study. In the 9-month, randomized, double-blind phase III trial, treatment-naïve patients with type I Gaucher disease were treated with either 30 or 60 U/kg every 2 weeks. Dose-dependent improvements were achieved after 6 and 9 months of therapy, with reductions in spleen and liver volumes and improvements in hemoglobin levels. Platelet counts improved initially only in the higher-dose group, but preliminary results from the extension study also show significant increases in the lower-dose group. Bone marrow involvement, as assessed by magnetic resonance imaging, improved in almost all patients. Taliglucerase alfa has shown a good safety profile, with few patients experiencing hypersensitivity reactions and developing antibodies. An additional enzyme replacement therapy for Gaucher disease would enable the treatment of more patients and would provide backup for unexpected production problems. Furthermore, it is expected that this new treatment would reduce the costs of therapy. Taliglucerase alfa is a valuable new treatment modality for the non-neuronopathic manifestations of Gaucher disease

    Limitations of drug registries to evaluate orphan medicinal products for the treatment of lysosomal storage disorders

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    Orphan drugs are often approved under exceptional circumstances, requiring submission of additional data on safety and effectiveness through registries. These registries are mainly focused on one drug only and data is frequently incomplete. Some registries also address phenotypic heterogeneity and natural history data and publications on these aspects have contributed to the knowledge and awareness of these rare diseases. However, for the assessment of long-term outcomes and for cost-effectiveness, the incompleteness and variable quality of the data raises concerns on the usefulness of these registries. The existing registries for orphan drug treatments for lysosomal storage disorders (LSD's) illustrate these limitations. LSD's are inherited disorders of lysosomal metabolism with a wide variety in clinical symptoms, ranging from severe life-threatening neurological disease to mild or even asymptomatic cases. Their prevalence is extremely low and thus data is scarce and scattered all over Europe. In the past few years, several enzyme replacement therapies and an oral substrate inhibitor have been developed which provide lifelong treatment of LSD's. For Fabry disease, two enzymes were authorized at the same time resulting in two different drug registries being required by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to monitor effectiveness and safety. This has lead to patient data being divided between two separate registries which may have contributed to delays in the assessment of important outcomes. Three treatments (including a recently approved new enzyme) have now been authorized for Gaucher Disease and two other potential therapies are in the pipeline. Dividing up the data on Gaucher disease patients in to five separate registries benefits nobody. We argue that disease specific (rather than drug specific) registries, supervised by independent clinicians are urgently needed for the best long-term evaluation of treatments of these rare diseases

    Enzyme replacement therapy for mucopolysaccharidosis type IV (Morquio syndrome)

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    This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the effectiveness, safety and appropriate dose regimen of ERT in people with MPS IV A. To determine whether evidence from NRSIs (which potentially offers longer follow-ups) can contribute to the ERT efficacy evidence-base, and to determine the potential need for additional RCT evidence. To consolidate recommendations for the design of future clinical trials

    Long-Term Outcomes and Practical Considerations in the Pharmacological Management of Tyrosinemia Type 1

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    Tyrosinemia type 1 (TT1) is a rare metabolic disease caused by a defect in tyrosine catabolism. TT1 is clinically characterized by acute liver failure, development of hepatocellular carcinoma, renal and neurological problems, and consequently an extremely poor outcome. This review showed that the introduction of 2-(2-nitro-4-trifluoromethylbenzoyl)-1,3-cyclohexanedione (NTBC) in 1992 has revolutionized the outcome of TT1 patients, especially when started pre-clinically. If started early, NTBC can prevent liver failure, renal problems, and neurological attacks and decrease the risk for hepatocellular carcinoma. NTBC has been shown to be safe and well tolerated, although the long-term effectiveness of treatment with NTBC needs to be awaited. The high tyrosine concentrations caused by treatment with NTBC could result in ophthalmological and skin problems and requires life-long dietary restriction of tyrosine and its precursor phenylalanine, which could be strenuous to adhere to. In addition, neurocognitive problems have been reported since the introduction of NTBC, with hypothesized but as yet unproven pathophysiological mechanisms. Further research should be done to investigate the possible relationship between important clinical outcomes and blood concentrations of biochemical parameters such as phenylalanine, tyrosine, succinylacetone, and NTBC, and to develop clear guidelines for treatment and follow-up with reliable measurements. This all in order to ultimately improve the combined NTBC and dietary treatment and limit possible complications such as hepatocellular carcinoma development, neurocognitive problems, and impaired quality of life

    The need for additional care in patients with classical galactosaemia

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    Purpose: Classical galactosaemia is an inborn error of galactose metabolism which may lead to impairments in body functions and accordingly, need for additional care. The primary aim of this study was to establish the type and intensity of this additional care. Materials and methods: Patients with classical galactosaemia aged >/=2 years were evaluated with the Capacity Profile, a standardised method to classify additional care needs according to type and intensity. Based on a semi-structured interview, current impairments in five domains of body functions were determined. The intensity of additional care was assessed (from 0, usual care, to 5, total dependence). Results: Forty-four patients with classical galactosaemia, 18 males and 26 females (median age 15 years, range 2-49 years), were included. There was a wide spectrum of impairments in mental functions. Motor function impairments were present in four patients, and mild speech impairments in eight patients. Additional care for sensory functions was uncommon. All patients needed a diet, which care is scored in the physical health domain. Conclusions: Apart from the diet all patients need, classical galactosaemia leads to the need for additional care mainly in the domains of mental functions and speech and voice functions. Implications for rehabilitation The Capacity Profile is a useful tool to demonstrate additional care needs in classical galactosaemia. In classical galactosaemia additional care is mostly indicated by mental impairments and speech and voice functions. One-fifth of patients have impairment of speech and voice functions at time of the study, and half of all patients had received speech therapy in childhood. Over 70% of patients need additional care/help due to impairment of mental functions, ranging from coaching due to social vulnerability to full day care

    Different diseases, different needs:Patient preferences for gene therapy in lysosomal storage disorders, a probabilistic threshold technique survey

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    Background: Gene therapy is currently in development for several monogenetic diseases including lysosomal storage disorders. Limited evidence is available on patient preferences for gene therapy in this population. In this study, we compare gene therapy-related risk tolerance between people affected by three lysosomal storage diseases currently faced with different therapeutic options and prognoses. Methods: A survey including the probabilistic threshold technique was developed in which respondents were asked to choose between gene therapy and the current standard of care. The attributes included to establish participants’ risk tolerance were previously identified in focus groups of affected people or their representatives, namely: risk of mild side effects, severe side effects, the need for additional medication, and the likelihood of long-term effectiveness. The survey was distributed among people receiving outpatient care for type 1 Gaucher disease (good prognosis with current treatment options), Fabry disease (varying prognosis with current treatment options, XY-genotype on average more severely affected than XX), and parents representing people with severe forms of mucopolysaccharidosis type III A/B (poor prognosis, no disease-specific therapy available). Results: A total of 85 surveys were completed (15 Gaucher disease respondents, 62 Fabry disease respondents (17 self-identifying male), eight parents of ten people with mucopolysaccharidosis type III). Disease groups with higher disease severity trended towards higher risk tolerance: Gaucher disease respondents were most cautious and predominantly preferred the current standard of care as opposed to MPS III representatives who were more risk tolerant. Respondents with Fabry disease were most heterogeneous in their risk tolerance, with male participants being more risk tolerant than female participants. Long-term effectiveness was the attribute in which respondents tolerated the least risk. Conclusions: People affected by a lysosomal storage disease associated with a poorer prognosis and less effective current treatment options trended towards more risk tolerance when choosing between gene therapy and the current standard of care. This study shows the importance of involvement of patient preferences before and during the development process of new treatment modalities such as gene therapy for rare diseases, to ensure that innovative therapies align with the wishes and needs of people affected by these diseases.</p

    Early start of enzyme replacement therapy in pediatric male patients with classical Fabry disease is associated with attenuated disease progression

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    Background Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) slows disease progression of Fabry disease (FD), especially when initiated before the onset of irreversible organ damage. However, with the clinically asymptomatic progression of renal, cardiac and cerebral disease manifestations spanning decades, optimal timing of ERT initiation remains unclear. Methods In this cross-sectional retrospective study, seven male FD patients with a classical disease phenotype (cFD) who started treatment with agalsidase-beta in childhood were evaluated after 10 years of treatment (median age at evaluation 24 years, range 14–26). Cardiac imaging (echocardiography and MRI), electrophysiological and biochemical data of these patients were compared to those of untreated male cFD patients (n = 23, median age 22 years, range 13–27). Results Albuminuria was less common and less severe in treated patients (albumin to creatinine ratio, ACR 0–8.8 mg/mmol, median 0.4) compared to untreated patients (ACR 0–248 mg/mmol, median 3.7, p = 0.02). The treated group had a lower left ventricular mass, measured using echocardiography (median 80 g/m2 versus 94 g/m2, p = 0.02) and MRI (median 53 g/m2 versus 68 g/m2, p = 0.02). Myocardial fibrosis was absent in all included patients. eGFR was normal in all treated patients whereas 7/23 (30%) of untreated patients had abnormal eGFR. Cerebral manifestations did not differ. Conclusions Start of treatment with ERT before age 16, in male cFD patients is associated with reduced occurrence of renal and cardiac manifestations of FD, as assessed by intermediate endpoints. Confirmation that this approach delays or even prevents renal failure and cardiac events requires another decade of follow-up.publishedVersio

    Social cognition, emotion-regulation and social competence in classical galactosemia patients without intellectual disability

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    Objective: Classical galactosemia (CG) is an inborn error of galactose metabolism. Many CG-patients suffer from long-Term complications including poor cognitive functioning. There are indications of social dysfunction but limited evidence in the literature. Therefore, this study aims to improve our understanding of social competence in CG by investigating social cognition, neurocognition and emotion-regulation. Methods: A comprehensive (neuro)psychological test battery including self-and proxy questionnaires was administered to CG-patients without intellectual disability. Social cognition was assessed by facial emotion recognition, Theory of Mind and self-reported empathy. Standardized results were compared to normative data of the general population. Results: Data of 23 patients (aged 8-52) were included in the study. On a group-level, CG-patients reported satisfaction with social roles and no social dysfunction despite the self-report of lower social skills. They showed deficits on all aspects of social cognition on both performance tests (emotion-recognition and Theory of Mind) and self-report questionnaires (empathy). Adults had a lower social participation than the general population. Parents reported lower social functioning, less adaptive emotion-regulation and communication difficulties in their children. Individual differences in scores were present. Conclusion: This study shows that CG patients without intellectual disability are satisfied with their social competence, especially social functioning. Nevertheless, deficits in social cognition are present in a large proportion of CG-patients. Due to the large variability in scores and discrepancies between self-and proxy-report, an individually tailored, comprehensive neuropsychological assessment including social cognition is advised in all CG-patients. Treatment plans need to be customized to the individual patient.</p

    Consequences of a global enzyme shortage of agalsidase beta in adult Dutch Fabry patients

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    <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Enzyme replacement therapy is currently the only approved therapy for Fabry disease. From June 2009 on, viral contamination of Genzyme's production facility resulted in a worldwide shortage of agalsidase beta leading to involuntary dose reductions (approved dose 1 mg/kg/eow, reduced dose 0.5 mg/kg/m), or switch to agalsidase alpha (administered dose 0.2 mg/kg/eow). An assessment report from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) raised serious concerns about an increase in adverse events at lower dosages of agalsidase beta. We determined the influence of the shortage on clinical event incidence and the most sensitive biochemical marker (lysoGb3) in Dutch Fabry patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The incidence of clinical events per person per year was calculated from start of agalsidase beta treatment until the shortage, and was compared to the incidence of clinical events during the shortage period. In addition, plasma lysoGb3, eGFR, quality of life (SF-36) and brief pain inventory (BPI) questionnaires were analysed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>All thirty-five Dutch Fabry patients using agalsidase beta (17 males) were included. Mean clinical event incidence was unchanged: 0.15 events per person per year before versus 0.15 during the shortage (p = 0.68). In total 28 clinical events occurred in 14 patients during 4.6 treatment years, compared to 7 events in 6 patients during the 1.3 year shortage period. eGFR and BPI scores were not significantly altered. Two SF-36 subscales were significantly but minimally reduced in females. In males, lysoGb3 increased with a median of 8.1 nM (range 2.5 - 29.2) after 1 year of shortage (p = 0.001). Increases in lysoGb3 were found in both patients switching to agalsidase alpha and on a reduced agalsidase beta dose. Antibody status, treatment duration or clinical event incidence showed no clear correlation to lysoGb3 increases.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>No increase in clinical event incidence was found in the adult Dutch Fabry cohort during the agalsidase beta shortage. Increases in lysoGb3, however, suggest recurrence of disease activity.</p
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