C1-esterase Inhibitor (Cinryze) for Acute Treatment of Neuromyelitis Optica Exacerbation

Phase 1b Study of C1-esterase Inhibitor (Cinryze) With Standard of Care for Acute Treatment of Neuromyelitis Optica Exacerbations

The overall objective is to evaluate the tolerability/safety and preliminary efficacy of CINRYZE® (C1 esterase inhibitor [human]) as add-on therapy for treatment of acute optic neuritis and/or transverse myelitis in NMO and NMOSD.

Primary Objective: To evaluate the safety and tolerability of 3-5 doses of 1000 - 2000 Units intravenous CINRYZE in NMO/NMOSD patients during an acute exacerbation.

Secondary Objectives:

• To determine the frequency of adverse events with CINRYZE in this patient population.
• To determine the effect of CINRYZE on NMO clinical scores (Expanded Disability Status Scale and Low Contrast Visual Acuity).
• To compare the change in MRI lesion size and extent following a course of CINRYZE.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Neuromyelitis Optica
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: C1-esterase inhibitor (Cinryze)

Detailed Description

The rationale for using C1-esterase inhibitor (CINRYZE) in NMO is based on pathology showing a role for complement in active NMO lesions. NMO is not unique in involving complement, which may have a pathogenic role in other demyelinating diseases including multiple sclerosis. However, NMO is characterized by its complement involvement depositing in a rim or rosette pattern in all/most active lesions. In vitro, complement mediates damage initiated by anti-AQP4 antibody binding to astrocytes. The effector of antibody triggered cell damage is the complement cascade and blocking the complement cascade with C1-inhibitor prevents damage ex vivo. Based on mounting evidence, the consensus in the field is that prevention of the complement cascade in the CNS would ameliorate the damage caused in NMO inflammatory attacks. In contrast to a prevention trial, this study would provide for complement inhibition only during an active NMO attack. This approach is designed to administer the inhibitory drug when complement damage is at its peak which minimizes adverse effects from prolonged complement inhibition.

Patients with NMO do not lack natural C1-esterase inhibitor, but artificially tipping the balance to suppress the complement pathways using purified human C1-esterase inhibitor in patients with hyperactive complement activation has been shown to be beneficial in myocardial infarction and sepsis. Similarly, the rationale for adding human C1-esterase inhibitor to the treatment for NMO acute exacerbations is to tip the balance toward complement suppression in an effort to reduce complement-mediated neurologic damage.

This is a phase 1b open-label, interventional proof-of-concept study in which all subjects will receive 3 daily infusions of 2000 Units of intravenous CINRYZE at the onset of an NMO exacerbation, plus an additional 2 infusions of 1000 Units of intravenous CINRYZE during a second treatment phase with plasma exchange, if necessary.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 10
• Phase: Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Maryland
    • Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21287
      • Johns Hopkins Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 65 years (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Able and willing to provide written informed consent.
2. 18-65 years of age.
3. New acute optic neuritis and/or transverse myelitis. A clinical event is defined as an episode of inflammation in the spinal cord and/or optic nerve leading to neurologic symptoms not ascribed to another disease process.

4. Diagnosis of NMO according to the 2006 revisions of the Wingerchuk diagnostic criteria for NMO (Wingerchuk, 2006), or AQP4 positive NMOSD per the EFNS Guidelines. For NMO, subjects must have two absolute criteria:

   1. optic neuritis
   2. myelitis and at least two of three supportive criteria:
   3. presence of a contiguous spinal cord MRI lesion extending over three or more vertebral segments,
   4. MRI criteria NOT satisfying the revised McDonald diagnostic criteria for MS [Polman, 2011]
   5. NMO-IgG (AQP4) in serum. For NMOSD, subjects must have longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis (LETM) recurrent isolated optic neuritis (RION)/bilateral optic neuritis (BON), or opticospinal multiple sclerosis (OSMS) that is AQP4 antibody positive.
5. A female subject is eligible to enter the study if she is:

A. Not pregnant or nursing; B. Of non-childbearing potential (i.e. women who have had a hysterectomy, are post-menopausal, which is defined as >2 years without menses or, in female subjects who have been post-menopausal for <2 years, must be confirmed with Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and estradiol levels), have both ovaries surgically removed or have current documented tubal ligation) OR Of child-bearing potential (i.e. women with functional ovaries and no documented impairment of oviductal or uterine function that would cause sterility). This category includes women with oligomenorrhoea (even severe), women who are perimenopausal or have just begun to menstruate.

C. Subject has a negative serum pregnancy test at screening and agrees to one of the following:

1. Complete abstinence from intercourse for the period from consent into the study until 6 months after the last dose of investigational product; or,
2. Consistent and correct use of one of the following acceptable methods of birth control for the period from consent into the study until 6 months after the last dose of investigational product:

i. Oral contraceptives (either combined or progesterone only) ii. Injectable progesterone iii. Levonorgestrel implants iv. Estrogenic vaginal ring v. Percutaneous contraceptive patches vi. Intrauterine device (IUD) or intrauterine system (IUS) with a documented failurerate of <1% per year vii. Male partner sterilization (vasectomy with documentation of azoospermia) prior to the female subject's entry into the study; this male must be the sole partner for the subject viii. Double barrier method: condom and an occlusive cap (diaphragm or cervical/vault caps) with a vaginal spermicidal agent (foam/gel/film/cream/suppository).

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Current evidence or known history of clinically significant infection including:

   1. Chronic or ongoing active infectious disease requiring long term systemic treatment such as, but not limited to: PML, chronic renal infection, chronic chest infection with bronchiectasis, tuberculosis, or active hepatitis C.
   2. Previous serious opportunistic or atypical infections.
   3. History of positive serology for hepatitis B.
   4. Prior history, or suspicion, of tuberculosis (TB)
   5. History of positive serology for HIV.
2. History of clinically significant CNS trauma (e.g. traumatic brain injury, cerebral contusion, spinal cord compression).
3. History or presence of myelopathy due to spinal cord compression by disc or vertebral disease.

4. Past or current history of medically significant adverse effects (including allergic reactions) from:

   a. Corticosteroids

5. Past or current malignancy, except for

   1. Cervical carcinoma Stage 1B or less
   2. Non-invasive basal cell and squamous cell skin carcinoma
   3. Cancer diagnoses with a duration of complete response (remission) >5 years
   4. A history of hematologic malignancy excludes a subject from participation, regardless of response.
6. Significant concurrent, uncontrolled medical condition including, but not limited to, cardiac, renal, hepatic, hematological, gastrointestinal, endocrine, immunodeficiency syndrome, pulmonary, cerebral, psychiatric, or neurological disease which could affect the subject's safety, impair the subject's reliable participation in the trial, impair the evaluation of endpoints, or necessitate the use of medication not allowed by the protocol, as determined by the PI of the study.
7. Use of an investigational drug or other experimental therapy for a condition other than NMO within 4 weeks, 5 pharmacokinetic half lives or duration of biological effect (whichever is longer) prior to screening.
8. Current participation in any other interventional clinical trial. Participation in non-interventional trial requires approval of the protocol by investigator.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: TREATMENT
• Allocation: NA
• Interventional Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Masking: NONE

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

EXPERIMENTAL: C1-esterase inhibitor (Cinryze); This is a phase 1b open-label, interventional proof-of-concept study in patients with neuromyelitis optica (NMO) in which all subjects will receive 3 daily infusions of 2000 Units of intravenous CINRYZE at the onset of an NMO exacerbation in addition to standard of care high-dose steroids, plus an additional 2 infusions of 1000 Units of intravenous CINRYZE during a second treatment phase with plasma exchange, if necessary.

Drug: C1-esterase inhibitor (Cinryze); Other Names: Cinryze

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of Adverse Safety Events During Hospitalization	Over the course of hospitalization for the acute NMO exacerbations, subjects will be monitored daily for frequency of adverse events.	5-21 days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Frequency of Serious Adverse Events.		5-21 days
Percentage of Subjects Withdrawing Due to Adverse Events.		5-21 days
Change From Baseline in Hematology, Chemistry, and Urinalysis Parameters.	ALT elevations were considered "mild" if they rose to less than 4-fold baseline levels.	5-21 days
Expanded Disability Status Score (EDSS)	The Kurtzke Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) was developed to measure the disability status of patients with multiple sclerosis. It allows an objective quantification of the level of functioning that could be widely and reproducibly used by researchers and health care providers. The EDSS provides a total score on a scale that ranges from 0 to 10. The first levels 1.0 to 4.5 refer to people with a high degree of ambulatory ability and the subsequent levels 5.0 to 9.5 refer to the loss of ambulatory ability. The range of main categories include (0) = normal neurologic exam; to (5) = ambulatory without aid or rest for 200 meters; disability severe enough to impair full daily activities; to (10) = death due to MS. In addition, it also provides eight subscale measurements called Functional System (FS) scores.	participants were followed for the duration of hospital stay ranging from 5-21 days, an average of 13 days; EDSS assessment was administered at discharge

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Michael Levy
• Collaborators: ViroPharma

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Tradtrantip L, Asavapanumas N, Phuan PW, Verkman AS. Potential therapeutic benefit of C1-esterase inhibitor in neuromyelitis optica evaluated in vitro and in an experimental rat model. PLoS One. 2014 Sep 5;9(9):e106824. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0106824. eCollection 2014.

Helpful Links

• Johns Hopkins NMO Research Lab

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: January 1, 2013
• Primary Completion (ACTUAL): November 1, 2013
• Study Completion (ACTUAL): November 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 29, 2012
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 2, 2013
• First Posted (ESTIMATE): January 3, 2013

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (ESTIMATE): July 18, 2014
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 17, 2014
• Last Verified: July 1, 2014

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: NMO; Devic's disease; Neuromyelitis optica; Devic
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nervous System Diseases; Immune System Diseases; Demyelinating Autoimmune Diseases, CNS; Autoimmune Diseases of the Nervous System; Demyelinating Diseases; Autoimmune Diseases; Eye Diseases; Optic Nerve Diseases; Cranial Nerve Diseases; Myelitis, Transverse; Optic Neuritis; Neuromyelitis Optica; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Immunosuppressive Agents; Immunologic Factors; Complement Inactivating Agents; Complement C1 Inhibitor Protein; Complement C1 Inactivator Proteins; Complement C1s
• Other Study ID Numbers: NA_00078437