Vanda A Lennon, Dean M Wingerchuk, Thomas J Kryzer, Sean J Pittock, Claudia F Lucchinetti, Kazuo Fujihara, Ichiro Nakashima, Brian G Weinshenker
A serum autoantibody marker of neuromyelitis optica: distinction from multiple sclerosis.
Lancet. 2004 Dec 11-17;364(9451):2106-12. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(04)17551-X.
Abstract/Text
BACKGROUND: Neuromyelitis optica is an inflammatory demyelinating disease with generally poor prognosis that selectively targets optic nerves and spinal cord. It is commonly misdiagnosed as multiple sclerosis. Neither disease has a distinguishing biomarker, but optimum treatments differ. The relation of neuromyelitis optica to optic-spinal multiple sclerosis in Asia is uncertain. We assessed the capacity of a putative marker for neuromyelitis optica (NMO-IgG) to distinguish neuromyelitis optica and related disorders from multiple sclerosis.
METHODS: Indirect immunofluorescence with a composite substrate of mouse tissues identified a distinctive NMO-IgG staining pattern, which we characterised further by dual immunostaining. We tested masked serum samples from 102 North American patients with neuromyelitis optica or with syndromes that suggest high risk of the disorder, and 12 Japanese patients with optic-spinal multiple sclerosis. Control patients had multiple sclerosis, other myelopathies, optic neuropathies, and miscellaneous disorders. We also established clinical diagnoses for 14 patients incidentally shown to have NMO-IgG among 85000 tested for suspected paraneoplastic autoimmunity.
FINDINGS: NMO-IgG outlines CNS microvessels, pia, subpia, and Virchow-Robin space. It partly colocalises with laminin. Sensitivity and specificity were 73% (95% CI 60-86) and 91% (79-100) for neuromyelitis optica and 58% (30-86) and 100% (66-100) for optic-spinal multiple sclerosis. NMO-IgG was detected in half of patients with high-risk syndromes. Of 14 seropositive cases identified incidentally, 12 had neuromyelitis optica or a high-risk syndrome for the disease.
INTERPRETATION: NMO-IgG is a specific marker autoantibody of neuromyelitis optica and binds at or near the blood-brain barrier. It distinguishes neuromyelitis optica from multiple sclerosis. Asian optic-spinal multiple sclerosis seems to be the same as neuromyelitis optica.
Vanda A Lennon, Thomas J Kryzer, Sean J Pittock, A S Verkman, Shannon R Hinson
IgG marker of optic-spinal multiple sclerosis binds to the aquaporin-4 water channel.
J Exp Med. 2005 Aug 15;202(4):473-7. doi: 10.1084/jem.20050304. Epub 2005 Aug 8.
Abstract/Text
Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease that selectively affects optic nerves and spinal cord. It is considered a severe variant of multiple sclerosis (MS), and frequently is misdiagnosed as MS, but prognosis and optimal treatments differ. A serum immunoglobulin G autoantibody (NMO-IgG) serves as a specific marker for NMO. Here we show that NMO-IgG binds selectively to the aquaporin-4 water channel, a component of the dystroglycan protein complex located in astrocytic foot processes at the blood-brain barrier. NMO may represent the first example of a novel class of autoimmune channelopathy.
T Misu, K Fujihara, A Kakita, H Konno, M Nakamura, S Watanabe, T Takahashi, I Nakashima, H Takahashi, Y Itoyama
Loss of aquaporin 4 in lesions of neuromyelitis optica: distinction from multiple sclerosis.
Brain. 2007 May;130(Pt 5):1224-34. doi: 10.1093/brain/awm047. Epub 2007 Apr 2.
Abstract/Text
Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is an inflammatory and necrotizing disease clinically characterized by selective involvement of the optic nerves and spinal cord. There has been a long controversy as to whether NMO is a variant of multiple sclerosis (MS) or a distinct disease. Recently, an NMO-specific antibody (NMO-IgG) was found in the sera from patients with NMO, and its target antigen was identified as aquaporin 4 (AQP4) water channel protein, mainly expressed in astroglial foot processes. However, the pathogenetic role of the AQP4 in NMO remains unknown. We did an immunohistopathological study on the distribution of AQP4, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), myelin basic protein (MBP), activated complement C9neo and immunoglobulins in the spinal cord lesions and medulla oblongata of NMO (n = 12), MS (n = 6), brain and spinal infarction (n = 7) and normal control (n = 8). The most striking finding was that AQP4 immunoreactivity was lost in 60 out of a total of 67 acute and chronic NMO lesions (90%), but not in MS plaques. The extensive loss of AQP4 accompanied by decreased GFAP staining was evident, especially in the active perivascular lesions, where immunoglobulins and activated complements were deposited. Interestingly, in those NMO lesions, MBP-stained myelinated fibres were relatively preserved despite the loss of AQP4 and GFAP staining. The areas surrounding the lesions in NMO had enhanced expression of AQP4 and GFAP, which reflected reactive gliosis. In contrast, AQP4 immunoreactivity was well preserved and rather strongly stained in the demyelinating MS plaques, and infarcts were also stained for AQP4 from the very acute phase of necrosis to the chronic stage of astrogliosis. In normal controls, AQP4 was diffusely expressed in the entire tissue sections, but the staining in the spinal cord was stronger in the central grey matter than in the white matter. The present study demonstrated that the immunoreactivities of AQP4 and GFAP were consistently lost from the early stage of the lesions in NMO, notably in the perivascular regions with complement and immunoglobulin deposition. These features in NMO were distinct from those of MS and infarction as well as normal controls, and suggest that astrocytic impairment associated with the loss of AQP4 and humoral immunity may be important in the pathogenesis of NMO lesions.
Dean M Wingerchuk, Vanda A Lennon, Claudia F Lucchinetti, Sean J Pittock, Brian G Weinshenker
The spectrum of neuromyelitis optica.
Lancet Neurol. 2007 Sep;6(9):805-15. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(07)70216-8.
Abstract/Text
Neuromyelitis optica (also known as Devic's disease) is an idiopathic, severe, demyelinating disease of the central nervous system that preferentially affects the optic nerve and spinal cord. Neuromyelitis optica has a worldwide distribution, poor prognosis, and has long been thought of as a variant of multiple sclerosis; however, clinical, laboratory, immunological, and pathological characteristics that distinguish it from multiple sclerosis are now recognised. The presence of a highly specific serum autoantibody marker (NMO-IgG) further differentiates neuromyelitis optica from multiple sclerosis and has helped to define a neuromyelitis optica spectrum of disorders. NMO-IgG reacts with the water channel aquaporin 4. Data suggest that autoantibodies to aquaporin 4 derived from peripheral B cells cause the activation of complement, inflammatory demyelination, and necrosis that is seen in neuromyelitis optica. The knowledge gained from further assessment of the exact role of NMO-IgG in the pathogenesis of neuromyelitis optica will provide a foundation for rational therapeutic trials for this rapidly disabling disease.
Takeshi Kezuka, Yoshihiko Usui, Naoyuki Yamakawa, Yoshimichi Matsunaga, Ryusaku Matsuda, Masayuki Masuda, Hiroya Utsumi, Keiko Tanaka, Hiroshi Goto
Relationship between NMO-antibody and anti-MOG antibody in optic neuritis.
J Neuroophthalmol. 2012 Jun;32(2):107-10. doi: 10.1097/WNO.0b013e31823c9b6c.
Abstract/Text
BACKGROUND: Damage to astrocytes by anti-aquaporin-4 antibody (AQP4-Ab), also known as NMO antibody, has been implicated as the cause of neuromyelitis optica. Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) is well known as the causative protein of multiple sclerosis (MS). MOG antigen is currently considered as a cause of optic neuritis (ON) associated with MS because immunization with MOG antigen derived from oligodendrocytes induces murine ON with myelitis. We investigated the relationship between NMO antibody (NMO-Ab) and anti-MOG antibody (MOG-Ab) and potential in patients with ON for recovery of vision.
METHODS: Thirty-three eyes of 23 patients with ON were studied. At presentation, serum NMO-Ab was measured by immunofluorescence using HEK 293 cells transfected with AQP4-GFP, and anti-MOG1-125 antibody was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. MOG-Ab seropositivity was defined by comparing with MOG-Ab level obtained from 8 healthy normal subjects.
RESULTS: Eleven (47%) of 23 ON patients were NMO-Ab seropositive, while 8 (34%) of the 23 patients were MOG-Ab seropositive. Six (26%) of 23 patients were seropositive for both NMO-Ab and MOG-Ab. Ten (43%) of 23 patients were seronegative for both antibodies. Three (50%) of 6 eyes of patients seropositive for both antibodies did not respond to corticosteroid pulse therapy and plasmapheresis, and visual acuity remained unchanged. In the NMO-Ab/MOG-Ab group, visual acuity improved significantly (P < 0.0001). In the other 3 groups (NMO-Ab/MOG-Ab, NMO-Ab/MOG-Ab, and NMO-Ab/MOG-Ab), visual acuity did not change significantly (P = 0.53, 0.42, and 0.45, respectively).
CONCLUSION: NMO-Ab and MOG-Ab could be potential biomarkers to determine visual prognosis in patients with ON.
Douglas Kazutoshi Sato, Dagoberto Callegaro, Marco Aurelio Lana-Peixoto, Patrick J Waters, Frederico M de Haidar Jorge, Toshiyuki Takahashi, Ichiro Nakashima, Samira Luisa Apostolos-Pereira, Natalia Talim, Renata Faria Simm, Angelina Maria Martins Lino, Tatsuro Misu, Maria Isabel Leite, Masashi Aoki, Kazuo Fujihara
Distinction between MOG antibody-positive and AQP4 antibody-positive NMO spectrum disorders.
Neurology. 2014 Feb 11;82(6):474-81. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000000101. Epub 2014 Jan 10.
Abstract/Text
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate clinical features among patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) who have myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibodies, aquaporin-4 (AQP4) antibodies, or seronegativity for both antibodies.
METHODS: Sera from patients diagnosed with NMOSD in 1 of 3 centers (2 sites in Brazil and 1 site in Japan) were tested for MOG and AQP4 antibodies using cell-based assays with live transfected cells.
RESULTS: Among the 215 patients with NMOSD, 7.4% (16/215) were positive for MOG antibodies and 64.7% (139/215) were positive for AQP4 antibodies. No patients were positive for both antibodies. Patients with MOG antibodies represented 21.1% (16/76) of the patients negative for AQP4 antibodies. Compared with patients with AQP4 antibodies or patients who were seronegative, patients with MOG antibodies were more frequently male, had a more restricted phenotype (optic nerve more than spinal cord), more frequently had bilateral simultaneous optic neuritis, more often had a single attack, had spinal cord lesions distributed in the lower portion of the spinal cord, and usually demonstrated better functional recovery after an attack.
CONCLUSIONS: Patients with NMOSD with MOG antibodies have distinct clinical features, fewer attacks, and better recovery than patients with AQP4 antibodies or patients seronegative for both antibodies.
Ryusaku Matsuda, Takeshi Kezuka, Akihiko Umazume, Yoko Okunuki, Hiroshi Goto, Keiko Tanaka
Clinical Profile of Anti-Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein Antibody Seropositive Cases of Optic Neuritis.
Neuroophthalmology. 2015 Oct;39(5):213-219. doi: 10.3109/01658107.2015.1072726. Epub 2015 Aug 25.
Abstract/Text
We have studied the clinical picture of anti-aquaporin antibody (AQP4-Ab)- and anti-myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody (MOG-Ab)-positive optic neuritis. However, optic neuritis associated with MOG-Abs has not been elucidated using new methods such as cell-based assay. Hence, we conducted a comprehensive investigation on its clinical profile. Serum samples from 70 patients (17 males and 53 females, mean age 43.1 years) with optic neuritis were tested for MOG-Abs by cell-based assay. In MOG-Ab seropositive patients, the disease type, recurrence status, and visual function outcome were analysed. Among 70 patients, 18 were MOG-Ab seropositive. The 18 patients comprised 2 with chronic relapsing inflammatory optic neuropathy, 2 with AQP4-Ab seropositive optic neuritis (neuromyelitis optica), 12 with idiopathic optic neuritis, and 2 with optic neuritis associated with multiple sclerosis. Excluding two cases that were also AQP4-Ab seropositive, MOG-Ab seropositive cases had relatively favourable visual acuity outcome (although not significantly different from seronegative cases) but had significant residual visual field deficit (p = 0.0015). Furthermore, the number of relapses of optic neuritis per year was significantly greater in MOG-Ab seropositive cases than in seronegative cases (0.82 vs. 0.40; p = 0.0005). MOG-Abs may contribute to the heterogeneous clinical picture of optic neuritis, and although visual acuity outcome is favourable, there is a tendency of residual visual field deficit and a possibility of repeated relapses.
D M Wingerchuk, V A Lennon, S J Pittock, C F Lucchinetti, B G Weinshenker
Revised diagnostic criteria for neuromyelitis optica.
Neurology. 2006 May 23;66(10):1485-9. doi: 10.1212/01.wnl.0000216139.44259.74.
Abstract/Text
BACKGROUND: The authors previously proposed diagnostic criteria for neuromyelitis optica (NMO) that facilitate its distinction from prototypic multiple sclerosis (MS). However, some patients with otherwise typical NMO have additional symptoms not attributable to optic nerve or spinal cord inflammation or have MS-like brain MRI lesions. Furthermore, some patients are misclassified as NMO by the authors' earlier proposed criteria despite having a subsequent course indistinguishable from prototypic MS. A serum autoantibody marker, NMO-IgG, is highly specific for NMO. The authors propose revised NMO diagnostic criteria that incorporate NMO-IgG status.
METHODS: Using final clinical diagnosis (NMO or MS) as the reference standard, the authors calculated sensitivity and specificity for each criterion and various combinations using a sample of 96 patients with NMO and 33 with MS. The authors used likelihood ratios and logistic regression analysis to develop the most practical and informative diagnostic model.
RESULTS: Fourteen patients with NMO (14.6%) had extra-optic-spinal CNS symptoms. NMO-IgG seropositivity was 76% sensitive and 94% specific for NMO. The best diagnostic combination was 99% sensitive and 90% specific for NMO and consisted of at least two of three elements: longitudinally extensive cord lesion, onset brain MRI nondiagnostic for MS, or NMO-IgG seropositivity.
CONCLUSIONS: The authors propose revised diagnostic criteria for definite neuromyelitis optica (NMO) that require optic neuritis, myelitis, and at least two of three supportive criteria: MRI evidence of a contiguous spinal cord lesion 3 or more segments in length, onset brain MRI nondiagnostic for multiple sclerosis, or NMO-IgG seropositivity. CNS involvement beyond the optic nerves and spinal cord is compatible with NMO.
Wingerchuk DM, Banwell B, Bennett JL, Cabre P, Carroll W, Chitnis T, de Seze J, Fujihara K, Greenberg B, Jacob A, Jarius S, Lana-Peixoto M, Levy M, Simon JH, Tenembaum S, Traboulsee AL, Waters P, Wellik KE, Weinshenker BG. International consensus diagnostic criteria for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders. Neurology [Internet]. 2015 Jul 14 [cited 2018 Sep 27];85(2):177–189. Available from: http://www.neurology.org/lookup/doi/10.1212/WNL.0000000000001729
Brenda Banwell, Jeffrey L Bennett, Romain Marignier, Ho Jin Kim, Fabienne Brilot, Eoin P Flanagan, Sudarshini Ramanathan, Patrick Waters, Silvia Tenembaum, Jennifer S Graves, Tanuja Chitnis, Alexander U Brandt, Cheryl Hemingway, Rinze Neuteboom, Lekha Pandit, Markus Reindl, Albert Saiz, Douglas Kazutoshi Sato, Kevin Rostasy, Friedemann Paul, Sean J Pittock, Kazuo Fujihara, Jacqueline Palace
Diagnosis of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease: International MOGAD Panel proposed criteria.
Lancet Neurol. 2023 Mar;22(3):268-282. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(22)00431-8. Epub 2023 Jan 24.
Abstract/Text
Serum antibodies directed against myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) are found in patients with acquired CNS demyelinating syndromes that are distinct from multiple sclerosis and aquaporin-4-seropositive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder. Based on an extensive literature review and a structured consensus process, we propose diagnostic criteria for MOG antibody-associated disease (MOGAD) in which the presence of MOG-IgG is a core criterion. According to our proposed criteria, MOGAD is typically associated with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, optic neuritis, or transverse myelitis, and is less commonly associated with cerebral cortical encephalitis, brainstem presentations, or cerebellar presentations. MOGAD can present as either a monophasic or relapsing disease course, and MOG-IgG cell-based assays are important for diagnostic accuracy. Diagnoses such as multiple sclerosis need to be excluded, but not all patients with multiple sclerosis should undergo screening for MOG-IgG. These proposed diagnostic criteria require validation but have the potential to improve identification of individuals with MOGAD, which is essential to define long-term clinical outcomes, refine inclusion criteria for clinical trials, and identify predictors of a relapsing versus a monophasic disease course.
Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Hitoshi Ishikawa, Takeshi Kezuka, Keigo Shikishima, Akiko Yamagami, Miki Hiraoka, Hideki Chuman, Makoto Nakamura, Keika Hoshi, Toshiaki Goseki, Kimiyo Mashimo, Osamu Mimura, Takeshi Yoshitomi, Keiko Tanaka, Working Group on Diagnostic Criteria for Refractory Optic Neuritis Based on Neuroimmunological Perspective
Epidemiologic and Clinical Characteristics of Optic Neuritis in Japan.
Ophthalmology. 2019 Oct;126(10):1385-1398. doi: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2019.04.042. Epub 2019 May 6.
Abstract/Text
PURPOSE: To elucidate the clinical and epidemiologic characteristics of optic neuritis in Japan.
DESIGN: Multicenter cross-sectional, observational cohort study.
PARTICIPANTS: A total of 531 cases of unilateral or bilateral noninfectious optic neuritis identified in 33 institutions nationwide in Japan.
METHODS: Serum samples from patients with optic neuritis were tested for anti-aquaporin-4 antibodies (AQP4-Abs) and anti-myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibodies (MOG-Abs) using a cell-based assay and were correlated with the clinical findings.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Antibody positivity, clinical and radiologic characteristics, and visual outcome.
RESULTS: Among 531 cases of optic neuritis, 12% were AQP4-Ab positive, 10% were MOG-Ab positive, 77% were negative for both antibodies (double-negative), and 1 case was positive for both antibodies. Pretreatment visual acuity (VA) worsened to more than a median 1.0 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) in all groups. After steroid pulse therapy (combined with plasmapheresis in 32% of patients in AQP4-Ab-positive group), median VA improved to 0.4 logMAR in the AQP4-Ab-positive group, 0 logMAR in the MOG-Ab-positive group, and 0.1 logMAR in the double-negative group. The AQP4-Ab-positive group showed a high proportion of females, exhibited diverse visual field abnormalities, and demonstrated concurrent spinal cord lesions on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 22% of the patients. In the MOG-Ab-positive group, although posttreatment visual outcome was good, the rates of optic disc swelling and pain with eye movement were significantly higher than those in the AQP4-Ab-positive and double-negative groups. However, most cases showed isolated optic neuritis lesions on MRI. In the double-negative group, 4% of the patients had multiple sclerosis. Multivariate logistic regression analysis of all participants identified age and presence of antibodies (MOG-Ab and AQP4-Ab) as significant factors affecting visual outcome.
CONCLUSIONS: The present large-scale cohort study revealed the clinicoepidemiologic features of noninfectious optic neuritis in Japan. Anti-aquaporin-4 antibody-positive optic neuritis has poor visual outcome. In contrast, MOG-Ab positive cases manifested severe clinical findings of optic neuritis before treatment, but few showed concurrent lesions in sites other than the optic nerve and generally showed good treatment response with favorable visual outcome. These findings indicate that autoantibody measurement is useful for prompt diagnosis and proper management of optic neuritis that tends to become refractory.
Copyright © 2019 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
日本神経学会 多発性硬化症治療ガイドライン委員会編：多発性硬化症・視神経脊髄炎スペクトラム障害診療ガイドライン2023.
松田隆作 他：ステロイド大量療法に抵抗した視神経炎に対する血漿交換療法．臨眼 2012；66：545-551．.
中尾 雄三, 中村 雄作, 青松 圭一他：ステロイド治療が無効な抗Aquaporin4抗体陽性視神経炎に対する免疫グロブリン大量静注療法．神経眼科2012；29：424-433．.
Takashi Yamamura, Ingo Kleiter, Kazuo Fujihara, Jacqueline Palace, Benjamin Greenberg, Beata Zakrzewska-Pniewska, Francesco Patti, Ching-Piao Tsai, Albert Saiz, Hayato Yamazaki, Yuichi Kawata, Padraig Wright, Jerome De Seze
Trial of Satralizumab in Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder.
N Engl J Med. 2019 Nov 28;381(22):2114-2124. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1901747.
Abstract/Text
BACKGROUND: Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system and is associated with autoantibodies to anti-aquaporin-4 (AQP4-IgG) in approximately two thirds of patients. Interleukin-6 is involved in the pathogenesis of the disorder. Satralizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody targeting the interleukin-6 receptor. The efficacy of satralizumab added to immunosuppressant treatment in patients with NMOSD is unclear.
METHODS: In a phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we randomly assigned, in a 1:1 ratio, patients with NMOSD who were seropositive or seronegative for AQP4-IgG to receive either satralizumab, at a dose of 120 mg, or placebo, administered subcutaneously at weeks 0, 2, and 4 and every 4 weeks thereafter, added to stable immunosuppressant treatment. The primary end point was the first protocol-defined relapse in a time-to-event analysis. Key secondary end points were the change from baseline to week 24 in the visual-analogue scale (VAS) pain score (range, 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more pain) and the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F) score (range, 0 to 52, with lower scores indicating more fatigue). Safety was also assessed.
RESULTS: A total of 83 patients were enrolled, with 41 assigned to the satralizumab group and 42 to the placebo group. The median treatment duration with satralizumab in the double-blind period was 107.4 weeks. Relapse occurred in 8 patients (20%) receiving satralizumab and in 18 (43%) receiving placebo (hazard ratio, 0.38; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.16 to 0.88). Multiple imputation for censored data resulted in hazard ratios ranging from 0.34 to 0.44 (with corresponding P values of 0.01 to 0.04). Among 55 AQP4-IgG-seropositive patients, relapse occurred in 11% of those in the satralizumab group and in 43% of those in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.21; 95% CI, 0.06 to 0.75); among 28 AQP4-IgG-seronegative patients, relapse occurred in 36% and 43%, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.20 to 2.24). The between-group difference in the change in the mean VAS pain score was 4.08 (95% CI, -8.44 to 16.61); the between-group difference in the change in the mean FACIT-F score was -3.10 (95% CI, -8.38 to 2.18). The rates of serious adverse events and infections did not differ between groups.
CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with NMOSD, satralizumab added to immunosuppressant treatment led to a lower risk of relapse than placebo but did not differ from placebo in its effect on pain or fatigue. (Funded by Chugai Pharmaceutical; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02028884.).
Copyright © 2019 Massachusetts Medical Society.
Sean J Pittock, Achim Berthele, Kazuo Fujihara, Ho Jin Kim, Michael Levy, Jacqueline Palace, Ichiro Nakashima, Murat Terzi, Natalia Totolyan, Shanthi Viswanathan, Kai-Chen Wang, Amy Pace, Kenji P Fujita, Róisín Armstrong, Dean M Wingerchuk
Eculizumab in Aquaporin-4-Positive Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder.
N Engl J Med. 2019 Aug 15;381(7):614-625. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1900866. Epub 2019 May 3.
Abstract/Text
BACKGROUND: Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is a relapsing, autoimmune, inflammatory disorder that typically affects the optic nerves and spinal cord. At least two thirds of cases are associated with aquaporin-4 antibodies (AQP4-IgG) and complement-mediated damage to the central nervous system. In a previous small, open-label study involving patients with AQP4-IgG-positive disease, eculizumab, a terminal complement inhibitor, was shown to reduce the frequency of relapse.
METHODS: In this randomized, double-blind, time-to-event trial, 143 adults were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to receive either intravenous eculizumab (at a dose of 900 mg weekly for the first four doses starting on day 1, followed by 1200 mg every 2 weeks starting at week 4) or matched placebo. The continued use of stable-dose immunosuppressive therapy was permitted. The primary end point was the first adjudicated relapse. Secondary outcomes included the adjudicated annualized relapse rate, quality-of-life measures, and the score on the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), which ranges from 0 (no disability) to 10 (death).
RESULTS: The trial was stopped after 23 of the 24 prespecified adjudicated relapses, given the uncertainty in estimating when the final event would occur. The mean (±SD) annualized relapse rate in the 24 months before enrollment was 1.99±0.94; 76% of the patients continued to receive their previous immunosuppressive therapy during the trial. Adjudicated relapses occurred in 3 of 96 patients (3%) in the eculizumab group and 20 of 47 (43%) in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.02 to 0.20; P<0.001). The adjudicated annualized relapse rate was 0.02 in the eculizumab group and 0.35 in the placebo group (rate ratio, 0.04; 95% CI, 0.01 to 0.15; P<0.001). The mean change in the EDSS score was -0.18 in the eculizumab group and 0.12 in the placebo group (least-squares mean difference, -0.29; 95% CI, -0.59 to 0.01). Upper respiratory tract infections and headaches were more common in the eculizumab group. There was one death from pulmonary empyema in the eculizumab group.
CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with AQP4-IgG-positive NMOSD, those who received eculizumab had a significantly lower risk of relapse than those who received placebo. There was no significant between-group difference in measures of disability progression. (Funded by Alexion Pharmaceuticals; PREVENT ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01892345; EudraCT number, 2013-001150-10.).
Copyright © 2019 Massachusetts Medical Society.
Sean J Pittock, Michael Barnett, Jeffrey L Bennett, Achim Berthele, Jérôme de Sèze, Michael Levy, Ichiro Nakashima, Celia Oreja-Guevara, Jacqueline Palace, Friedemann Paul, Carlo Pozzilli, Marcus Yountz, Kerstin Allen, Yasmin Mashhoon, Ho Jin Kim
Ravulizumab in Aquaporin-4-Positive Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder.
Ann Neurol. 2023 Jun;93(6):1053-1068. doi: 10.1002/ana.26626. Epub 2023 Apr 5.
Abstract/Text
OBJECTIVE: CHAMPION-NMOSD (NCT04201262) is a phase 3, open-label, externally controlled interventional study evaluating the efficacy and safety of the terminal complement inhibitor ravulizumab in adult patients with anti-aquaporin-4 antibody-positive (AQP4+) neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). Ravulizumab binds the same complement component 5 epitope as the approved therapeutic eculizumab but has a longer half-life, enabling an extended dosing interval (8 vs 2 weeks).
METHODS: The availability of eculizumab precluded the use of a concurrent placebo control in CHAMPION-NMOSD; consequently, the placebo group of the eculizumab phase 3 trial PREVENT (n = 47) was used as an external comparator. Patients received weight-based intravenous ravulizumab on day 1 and maintenance doses on day 15, then once every 8 weeks. The primary endpoint was time to first adjudicated on-trial relapse.
RESULTS: The primary endpoint was met; no patients taking ravulizumab (n = 58) had an adjudicated relapse (during 84.0 patient-years of treatment) versus 20 patients with adjudicated relapses in the placebo group of PREVENT (during 46.9 patient-years; relapse risk reduction = 98.6%, 95% confidence interval = 89.7%-100.0%, p < 0.0001). Median (range) study period follow-up time was 73.5 (11.0-117.7) weeks for ravulizumab. Most treatment-emergent adverse events were mild/moderate; no deaths were reported. Two patients taking ravulizumab experienced meningococcal infections. Both recovered with no sequelae; one continued ravulizumab treatment.
INTERPRETATION: Ravulizumab significantly reduced relapse risk in patients with AQP4+ NMOSD, with a safety profile consistent with those of eculizumab and ravulizumab across all approved indications. ANN NEUROL 2023;93:1053-1068.
© 2023 The Authors. Annals of Neurology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Neurological Association.
Bruce A C Cree, Jeffrey L Bennett, Ho Jin Kim, Brian G Weinshenker, Sean J Pittock, Dean M Wingerchuk, Kazuo Fujihara, Friedemann Paul, Gary R Cutter, Romain Marignier, Ari J Green, Orhan Aktas, Hans-Peter Hartung, Fred D Lublin, Jorn Drappa, Gerard Barron, Soraya Madani, John N Ratchford, Dewei She, Daniel Cimbora, Eliezer Katz, N-MOmentum study investigators
Inebilizumab for the treatment of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (N-MOmentum): a double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled phase 2/3 trial.
Lancet. 2019 Oct 12;394(10206):1352-1363. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(19)31817-3. Epub 2019 Sep 5.
Abstract/Text
BACKGROUND: No approved therapies exist for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), a rare, relapsing, autoimmune, inflammatory disease of the CNS that causes blindness and paralysis. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of inebilizumab, an anti-CD19, B cell-depleting antibody, in reducing the risk of attacks and disability in NMOSD.
METHODS: We did a multicentre, double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled phase 2/3 study at 99 outpatient specialty clinics or hospitals in 25 countries. Eligible participants were adults (≥18 years old) with a diagnosis of NMOSD, an Expanded Disability Status Scale score of 8·0 or less, and a history of at least one attack requiring rescue therapy in the year before screening or at least two attacks requiring rescue therapy in the 2 years before screening. Participants were randomly allocated (3:1) to 300 mg intravenous inebilizumab or placebo with a central interactive voice response system or interactive web response system and permuted block randomisation. Inebilizumab or placebo was administered on days 1 and 15. Participants, investigators, and all clinical staff were masked to the treatments, and inebilizumab and placebo were indistinguishable in appearance. The primary endpoint was time to onset of an NMOSD attack, as determined by the adjudication committee. Efficacy endpoints were assessed in all randomly allocated patients who received at least one dose of study intervention, and safety endpoints were assessed in the as-treated population. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02200770.
FINDINGS: Between Jan 6, 2015, and Sept 24, 2018, 230 participants were randomly assigned to treatment and dosed, with 174 participants receiving inebilizumab and 56 receiving placebo. The randomised controlled period was stopped before complete enrolment, as recommended by the independent data-monitoring committee, because of a clear demonstration of efficacy. 21 (12%) of 174 participants receiving inebilizumab had an attack versus 22 (39%) of 56 participants receiving placebo (hazard ratio 0·272 [95% CI 0·150-0·496]; p<0·0001). Adverse events occurred in 125 (72%) of 174 participants receiving inebilizumab and 41 (73%) of 56 participants receiving placebo. Serious adverse events occurred in eight (5%) of 174 participants receiving inebilizumab and five (9%) of 56 participants receiving placebo.
INTERPRETATION: Compared with placebo, inebilizumab reduced the risk of an NMOSD attack. Inebilizumab has potential application as an evidence-based treatment for patients with NMOSD.
FUNDING: MedImmune and Viela Bio.
Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Masayuki Tahara, Tomoko Oeda, Kazumasa Okada, Takao Kiriyama, Kazuhide Ochi, Hirofumi Maruyama, Hikoaki Fukaura, Kyoichi Nomura, Yuko Shimizu, Masahiro Mori, Ichiro Nakashima, Tatsuro Misu, Atsushi Umemura, Kenji Yamamoto, Hideyuki Sawada
Safety and efficacy of rituximab in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (RIN-1 study): a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
Lancet Neurol. 2020 Apr;19(4):298-306. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(20)30066-1. Epub 2020 Mar 18.
Abstract/Text
BACKGROUND: Pharmacological prevention against relapses in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is developing rapidly. We aimed to investigate the safety and efficacy of rituximab, an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, against relapses in patients with NMOSD.
METHODS: We did a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial at eight hospitals in Japan. Patients aged 16-80 years with NMOSD who were seropositive for aquaporin 4 (AQP4) antibody, were taking 5-30 mg/day oral steroids, and had an Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score of 7·0 or less were eligible for the study. Individuals taking any other immunosuppressants were excluded. Participants were randomly allocated (1:1) either rituximab or placebo by a computer-aided dynamic random allocation system. The doses of concomitant steroid (converted to equivalent doses of prednisolone) and relapses in previous 2 years were set as stratification factors. Participants and those assessing outcomes were unaware of group assignments. Rituximab (375 mg/m2) was administered intravenously every week for 4 weeks, then 6-month interval dosing was done (1000 mg every 2 weeks, at 24 weeks and 48 weeks after randomisation). A matching placebo was administered intravenously. Concomitant oral prednisolone was gradually reduced to 2-5 mg/day, according to the protocol. The primary outcome was time to first relapse within 72 weeks. Relapses were defined as patient-reported symptoms or any new signs consistent with CNS lesions and attributable objective changes in MRI or visual evoked potential. The primary analysis was done in the full analysis set (all randomly assigned patients) and safety analyses were done in the safety analysis set (all patients who received at least one infusion of assigned treatment). The primary analysis was by intention-to-treat principles. This trial is registered with the UMIN clinical trial registry, UMIN000013453.
FINDINGS: Between May 10, 2014, and Aug 15, 2017, 38 participants were recruited and randomly allocated either rituximab (n=19) or placebo (n=19). Three (16%) patients assigned rituximab discontinued the study and were analysed as censored cases. Seven (37%) relapses occurred in patients allocated placebo and none were recorded in patients assigned rituximab (group difference 36·8%, 95% CI 12·3-65·5; log-rank p=0·0058). Eight serious adverse events were recorded, four events in three (16%) patients assigned rituximab (lumbar compression fracture and infection around nail of right foot [n=1], diplopia [n=1], and uterine cancer [n=1]) and four events in two (11%) people allocated to placebo (exacerbation of glaucoma and bleeding in the right eye chamber after surgery [n=1], and visual impairment and asymptomatic white matter brain lesion on MRI [n=1]); all patients recovered. No deaths were reported.
INTERPRETATION: Rituximab prevented relapses for 72 weeks in patients with NMOSD who were AQP4 antibody-positive. This study is limited by its small sample size and inclusion of participants with mild disease activity. However, our results suggest that rituximab could be useful maintenance therapy for individuals with NMOSD who are AQP4 antibody-positive.
FUNDING: Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, and Zenyaku Kogyo.
Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
