Neurology Xagena
Positive results for Ofatumumab ( OMB157 ) from the phase III ASCLEPIOS I and II studies were announced. In both head-to-head studies, Ofatumumab has demonstrated superiority over Teriflunomide ( Aubagio ) in patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis ( RMS ).
The ASCLEPIOS studies investigated the efficacy and safety of monthly subcutaneous Ofatumumab 20mg versus once daily oral Teriflunomide 14mg in adults with RMS.
Both studies met the primary endpoints where Ofatumumab showed a highly significant and clinically meaningful reduction in the number of confirmed relapses, evaluated as the annualized relapse rate ( ARR ).
Key secondary endpoints of delaying time to confirmed disability progression were also met.
Overall Ofatumumab, a potent, fully-human antibody targeting CD20 positive B-cells, delivered sustained efficacy with a favorable safety profile.
The safety profile of Ofatumumab as seen in the ASCLEPIOS studies is in line with the observations from phase II results.
The ASCLEPIOS I and II studies are twin, identical design, flexible duration ( up to 30 months ), double-blind, randomized, multi-center phase III studies evaluating the safety and efficacy of Ofatumumab 20mg monthly subcutaneous injections versus Teriflunomide 14mg oral tablets taken once daily in adults with a confirmed diagnosis of RMS.
The studies enrolled 1,882 patients with multiple sclerosis, between the ages of 18 and 55 years, with an Expanded Disability Status Scale ( EDSS ) score between 0 and 5.5.
The studies were conducted in over 350 sites in 37 countries.
The primary endpoint of both studies was to demonstrate that Ofatumumab is superior to Teriflunomide in reducing the frequency of confirmed relapses as evaluated by the ARR in patients treated up to 30 months.
Secondary endpoints included time to disability progression confirmed at three and six months respectively, confirmed disability improvement at 6 months, Gadolinium enhancing T1 lesions, number of new or enlarging T2 lesions, serum levels of neurofilament light chain ( NfL ), and rate of brain volume loss.
Ofatumumab is a fully human anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody ( mAb ) self-administered by a once-monthly subcutaneous injection that is in development for multiple sclerosis.
Ofatumumab works by binding to the CD20 molecule on the B-cell surface and inducing potent B-cell lysis and depletion. ( Xagena )
Source: Novartis, 2019
XagenaMedicine_2019
