ASH Clinical News October 2017 | Page 38

Literature Scan

Using a Comorbidity-Based Composite Model to Predict Mortality in Patients With AML

Researchers developed a new composite model incorporating patient- and diseasespecific features to predict mortality in patients with acute myeloid leukemia
INDICATIONS AND USAGE
ADYNOVATE , Antihemophilic Factor ( Recombinant ), PEGylated , is a human antihemophilic factor indicated in children and adults with hemophilia A ( congenital factor VIII deficiency ) for :
• On-demand treatment and control of bleeding episodes
• Perioperative management
• Routine prophylaxis to reduce the frequency of bleeding episodes
Limitation of Use ADYNOVATE is not indicated for the treatment of von Willebrand disease . CONTRAINDICATIONS
ADYNOVATE is contraindicated in patients who have had prior anaphylactic reaction to ADYNOVATE , to the parent molecule ADVATE ® ( Antihemophilic Factor [ Recombinant ]), mouse or hamster protein , or excipients of ADYNOVATE ( e . g . Tris , mannitol , trehalose , glutathione , and / or polysorbate 80 ).
WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS Hypersensitivity Reactions
Hypersensitivity reactions are possible with ADYNOVATE . Allergic-type hypersensitivity reactions , including anaphylaxis , have been reported with other recombinant antihemophilic factor VIII products , including the parent molecule , ADVATE . Early signs of hypersensitivity reactions that can progress to anaphylaxis may include angioedema , chest tightness , dyspnea , wheezing , urticaria , and pruritus . Immediately discontinue administration and initiate appropriate treatment if hypersensitivity reactions occur .
Neutralizing Antibodies
Formation of neutralizing antibodies ( inhibitors ) to factor VIII can occur following administration of ADYNOVATE . Monitor patients regularly for the development of factor VIII inhibitors by appropriate clinical observations and laboratory tests . Perform an assay that measures factor VIII inhibitor concentration if the plasma factor VIII level fails to increase as expected , or if bleeding is not controlled with expected dose .
Monitoring Laboratory Tests
• Monitor plasma factor VIII activity by performing a validated one-stage clotting assay to confirm the adequate factor VIII levels have been achieved and maintained .
• Monitor for the development of factor VIII inhibitors . Perform the Bethesda inhibitor assay to determine if factor VIII inhibitor is present . If expected factor VIII activity plasma levels are not attained , or if bleeding is not controlled with the expected dose of ADYNOVATE , use Bethesda Units ( BU ) to determine inhibitor levels .
ADVERSE REACTIONS The most common adverse reactions ( ≥1 % of subjects ) reported in the clinical studies were headache and nausea .
Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions , adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice .
The safety of ADYNOVATE was evaluated in 237 previously treated patients ( PTPs ) and 6 previously untreated patients ( PUPs ) with severe hemophilia A ( factor VIII less than 1 % of normal ), who received at least one dose of ADYNOVATE in 3 completed multicenter , prospective , open label clinical studies and 4 ongoing clinical studies . The median duration of participation per subject was 401 ( min-max : 3-1034 ) days and the median number of exposure days to ADYNOVATE per subject was 111 ( min-max : 1-322 ). Table 1 lists the adverse reactions reported during clinical studies .
( AML ), according to a report published in JAMA Oncology . The novel composite model ( termed AML-CM ) outperformed conventional prognostic factors such as
ADYNOVATE ® [ Antihemophilic Factor ( Recombinant ), PEGylated ] Lyophilized Powder for Solution For Intravenous Injection Brief Summary of Prescribing Information : Please see package insert for full Prescribing Information .
Table 1 : Adverse Reactions Reported for ADYNOVATE
MedDRA System Organ Class
Gastrointestinal Disorders Immune System Disorder Nervous System Disorders Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue Disorders Vascular Disorders
MedDRA Preferred Term
Number of Subjects n (%) ( N = 234 )
Rate of AEs per 100 Infusions ( N = 30865 )
Diarrhea
1 ( 0.4 %)
0.003
Nausea
2 ( 0.8 %)
0.006
Hypersensitivity a 1 ( 0.4 %) 0.003
Headache 5 ( 2.1 %) 0.026 Rash 1 ( 0.4 %) 0.003 Flushing 1 ( 0.4 %) 0.003 a
The event of hypersensitivity was a mild transient non-serious rash , occurring in one 2-year old patient who had developed a previous rash while on ADYNOVATE .
Two cases of acute pancreatitis , with no precipitating cause identified in one case , were reported in adults during an extension study of the clinical trial which evaluated 137 subjects . Administration of ADYNOVATE continued and both cases resolved .
Immunogenicity
The risk of the development of factor VIII inhibitors with the use of ADYNOVATE was evaluated in 3 completed and 4 ongoing clinical trials . Subjects consisted of adolescent and adult ( n = 148 with ≥150 prior EDs ) and pediatric PTPs [(< 6 years of age with ≥50 prior EDs ( n = 32 ), ≥6 years of age with ≥150 prior EDs ( n = 57 )], and pediatric PUPs ( n = 6 ). In 191 adult and pediatric PTPs who were treated for at least 50 exposure days with ADYNOVATE , the factor VIII inhibitor frequency was 0 ( 95 % CI of 0 to 0.019 ). One PUP subject from an ongoing study , who received at least one infusion of ADYNOVATE , developed neutralizing antibodies to factor VIII .
Immunogenicity also was evaluated by measuring the development of binding IgG and IgM antibodies against factor VIII , PEGylated ( PEG ) -factor VIII , PEG and Chinese hamster ovary ( CHO ) protein using validated ELISA assays . The majority of subjects ( 238 / 243 ) with at least one infusion of ADYNOVATE did not develop a persistent binding antibody response to any of these antigens . Twenty-eight subjects in total showed pre-existing antibodies to factor VIII ( n = 3 ), PEG-factor VIII ( n = 25 ) and / or PEG ( n = 3 ) prior to the first exposure to ADYNOVATE . Thirteen subjects who tested negative at screening developed transient antibodies against factor VIII ( n = 6 ), or PEG-FVIII ( n = 8 ) at one or two consecutive study visits . Antibodies were transient and not detectable at subsequent visits . Five subjects showed positive results for binding antibodies at study completion or at the time of data cutoff . Binding antibodies that were detected prior to exposure to ADYNOVATE , that transiently developed during the trial or were still detectable at study completion or data cutoff could not be correlated to any impaired treatment efficacy or altered PK parameters . There was no causal relationship between observed adverse events and binding antibodies except in one subject where a causal relationship cannot be ruled out based on available data . No subject had pre-existing or treatment-emergent antibodies to CHO protein .
The detection of antibodies that are reactive to factor VIII is highly dependent on many factors , including : the sensitivity and specificity of the assay , sample handling , timing of sample collection , concomitant medications and underlying disease . For these reasons , comparison of the incidence of antibodies to ADYNOVATE with the incidence of antibodies to other products may be misleading .
Baxalta , Advate , Adynovate , and Baxject are trademarks of Baxalta Incorporated , a wholly owned , indirect subsidiary of Shire plc .
Baxalta US Inc . Westlake Village , CA 91362 USA U . S . License No . 2020 Issued 12 / 2016 16I045-ADY-US S24588 01 / 17 age and Karnofsky performance score in predicting early and late mortality , and could prove more useful than these factors for designing eligibility criteria for clinical trials of AML , noted the authors , led by Mohamed L . Sorror , MD , from the clinical research division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle , Washington .
“ Decisions about the choice of therapy have largely been based on age ( e . g ., ≥65 years or < 65 years ) [ and ] performance status often influences decisions and is frequently used to define the vague notion of ‘ unfit for intensive therapy ,’” the researchers explained . “ Formal evaluation of comorbidities has played a small role in decisions about initial therapy .”
In this retrospective cohort study , the investigators reviewed the electronic medical records of 1,100 patients ( median age = 60 years ; age range = 20-89 years ) treated at five academic centers between January 2008 and December 2012 . All patients were newly diagnosed with AML and received initial treatment with either low- , moderate- , or highintensity regimens during the study period ; patients who received only palliative care were excluded from the analysis .
Death within one year of initial therapy was the primary endpoint , given that it included “ both early deaths due to regimen-related toxic effects or to lack of response and / or relapse of AML , as well as later deaths following treatment of relapsed or refractory disease .” Death within eight weeks was a secondary endpoint .
During the study period , 679 of the total cohort ( 62 %) died , with 379 of the deaths ( 65 %) occurring in the first year after initial therapy . In multivariate analyses in the training set , nine comorbidities met the predetermined cutoff for association with one-year mortality ( hazard ratios [ HRs ] > 1.2 ), and constituted “ the new AML-Comorbidity Index ( AML-CI )”:
• cardiac dysfunction
• hepatic dysfunction
• infection
• peptic ulcer
• heart valve disease
• albumin value < 3.5 g / dL
• thrombocytopenia
• lactate dehydrogenase ( LDH ) > 200-1,000 U / L
• LDH > 1,000 U / L
Additionally , age and cytogenetic / molecular risk groups were associated with one-year mortality . To incorporate these factors into the AML-CM , the researchers converted adjusted HRs for older age and cytogenetic / molecular risk groups ( per the European Leukemia Net
October 2017