MYALEPT SIDE EFFECTS
- Generic Name: metreleptin for injection
- Brand Name: Myalept
- Drug Class: Leptin Analogs
SIDE EFFECTS
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 the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice.
Open-Label, Single-Arm Study
The safety of MYALEPT was evaluated in 48 patients with generalized lipodystrophy in a single-arm, open-label study. The median duration of exposure in this trial was 2.7 years with a range of 3.6 months to 10.9 years. The most frequent adverse reactions are summarized in Table 1.
Table 1: Adverse Reactions of 5% or Greater Incidence in Patients with Generalized Lipodystrophy Receiving MYALEPT in an Open-Label, Single-Arm Study
| All Subjects N=48 (%) |
|
| Headache | 6 (13) |
| Hypoglycemia1 | 6 (13) |
| Decreased weight | 6 (13) |
| Abdominal pain | 5 (10) |
| Arthralgia | 4 (8) |
| Dizziness | 4 (8) |
| Ear infection | 4 (8) |
| Fatigue | 4 (8) |
| Nausea | 4 (8) |
| Ovarian cyst | 4 (8) |
| Upper respiratory tract infection | 4 (8) |
| Anemia | 3 (6) |
| Back pain | 3 (6) |
| Diarrhea | 3 (6) |
| Paresthesia | 3 (6) |
| Proteinuria | 3 (6) |
| Pyrexia | 3 (6) |
| 1. Hypoglycemic events were assessed as mild, moderate, severe, or life threatening based on the protocol specified definitions: Mild: Documentation of low plasma glucose values with no symptoms; Moderate: Presence of clinical symptoms requiring ingestion of glucose, self-alleviated; Severe: Presence of neuroglycopenic symptoms requiring assistance from others for alleviation; Life threatening: Loss of consciousness and/or requiring intervention by administration of intravenous glucose or intramuscular glucagon. | |
In patients with generalized lipodystrophy receiving MYALEPT in this study, less common adverse reactions included injection-site erythema and urticaria (N=2 [4%]).
Six patients (13%) had 7 adverse reactions of hypoglycemia, 6 of which occurred in the setting of concomitant insulin use, with or without oral antihyperglycemic agents.
Two patients (4%) had events of pancreatitis, both of whom had a medical history of pancreatitis.
Immunogenicity
As with all therapeutic proteins, there is potential for immunogenicity. Anti-metreleptin antibodies were detected in 84% (36/43) of generalized lipodystrophy patients studied in the MYALEPT trials. Total anti-metreleptin antibody titers ranged between 1:5 and 1:1,953,125. The incompleteness of the current immunogenicity database precludes understanding of the magnitude and persistence of the observed anti-drug antibody responses. Anti-metreleptin antibodies with neutralizing activity associated with adverse events consistent with loss of endogenous leptin activity and/or loss of MYALEPT efficacy were observed in 6% (2/33) of the patients with generalized lipodystrophy tested. Adverse events reported in these two patients included severe infections and worsening of metabolic control (increases in HbA1c and/or triglycerides). Test for anti-metreleptin antibodies with neutralizing activity in patients who develop severe infections or show signs suspicious for loss of MYALEPT efficacy during treatment. Contact Aegerion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. at 1-866216-1526 for testing of clinical samples.
The detection of antibody formation is highly dependent on the sensitivity and specificity of the assay. The immunogenicity assays utilized in clinical trials lacked sensitivity, resulting in potential underestimation of the number of samples positive for anti-metreleptin antibodies with neutralizing activity. Additionally, the observed incidence of antibody (including neutralizing antibody) positivity in an assay may be influenced by several factors including assay methodology, sample handling, timing of sample collection, concomitant medications, and underlying disease. For these reasons, comparison of the incidence of antibodies to metreleptin with the incidence of antibodies to other products may be misleading.
Postmarketing Experience
The following adverse reactions have been identified during post-approval use of MYALEPT. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure.
- Incorrect dose administered, accidental overdose
SRC: NLM .