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HealthDay News — High-dose crizanlizumab treatment is associated with a significantly lower rate of sickle cell-related pain crises than placebo, according to a study published online in The New England Journal of Medicine to coincide with the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology, held in San Diego.
Kenneth I. Ataga, MBBS, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and colleagues conducted a phase 2 trial involving patients with sickle cell disease who were randomized to receive low-dose crizanlizumab, high-dose crizanlizumab, or placebo administered intravenously over a period of 52 weeks. A total of 198 patients at 60 sites underwent randomization.
The researchers found that the median rate of crises per year was 1.63 and 2.98 for high-dose crizanlizumab versus placebo, respectively. The median time to the first crisis and to the second crisis was significantly longer with high-dose crizanlizumab therapy than placebo (4.07 versus 1.38 months and 10.32 versus 5.09 months). The median rate of uncomplicated crises per year was 1.08 and 2.91 for high-dose crizanlizumab versus placebo, respectively.
“In patients with sickle cell disease, crizanlizumab therapy resulted in a significantly lower rate of sickle cell-related pain crises than placebo and was associated with a low incidence of adverse events,” the authors write.
The study was funded by Selexys Pharmaceuticals.
