CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY
Mechanism Of Action
Antithrombin (AT) plays a central role in the regulation
of hemostasis. AT is the principal inhibitor of thrombin and
Factor Xa5, the serine proteases that play
pivotal roles in blood coagulation. AT neutralizes the activity of thrombin and
Factor Xa by forming a complex which is rapidly removed from the circulation.
The ability of antithrombin to inhibit thrombin and Factor Xa can be enhanced
by greater than 300 to 1000 fold when AT is bound to heparin.
Pharmacodynamics
Hereditary AT deficiency causes an increased risk of
venous thromboembolism (VTE). During high-risk situations such as surgery or
trauma or for pregnant women, during the peripartum period, the risk of
development of VTEs as compared to the normal population in these situations is
increased by a factor 10 to 506,7.
In hereditary antithrombin deficient patients ATryn
restores (normalizes) plasma AT activity levels during peri-operative and
peri-partum periods.
Pharmacokinetics
In an open-label, single dose pharmacokinetic study, male
and female patients ( ≥ 18 years of age) with hereditary AT deficiency,
received either 50 (n = 9, all females) or 100 (n = 6, 2 males and 4 females)
IU/kg ATryn intravenously. These patients were not in high-risk situations. The
baseline corrected pharmacokinetic parameters for antithrombin (Recombinant) are
summarized in Table 5.
Table 5: Baseline Corrected Mean Pharmacokinetic Parameters
(%CV)
Parameter |
50 IU/kg |
100 IU/kg |
CL (mL/hr/kg) |
9.6 (34.4) |
7.2 (15.3) |
Half-life (hrs) |
11.6 (84.7) |
17.7 (60.9) |
MRT (hrs) |
16.2 (74.9) |
20.5 (40.2) |
Vss (mL/kg) |
126.2 (37.4) |
156.1 (43.4) |
Incremental recovery [mean (%CV)] was 2.24 (20.2) and
1.94 (14.8) %/IU/kg body weight for 50 and 100 IU/kg, respectively.
Population pharmacokinetic analysis of hereditary
deficient patients in a high risk situation revealed that the clearance and
volume of distribution in pregnant patients were (1.38 L/h and 14.3 L
respectively) which are higher than non-pregnant patients (0.67 L/h and 7.7 L
respectively). Therefore, distinct dosing formulae for surgical and pregnant patients
should be used (see Recommended Dose and Schedule).
As compared to plasma derived antithrombin, ATryn has a shorter
half-life and more rapid clearance (approximately nine and seven times,
respectively).
Pharmacokinetics may be influenced by concomitant heparin
administration, as well as surgical procedures, delivery, or bleeding. AT
activity monitoring (see Recommended Dose and Schedule) should be
performed to properly treat such patients.
Animal Toxicology And/Or Pharmacology
Pharmacokinetic and toxicokinetic (1 single, 2 repeated
dose) studies of antithrombin (Recombinant) were performed in mice, rats, dogs
and monkeys. In toxicokinetic studies in monkeys the area under the curve was
3-4 times greater than in the rat at all doses used.
The toxicological profile of antithrombin (Recombinant) administered
by the intravenous route as bolus injections and infusions has been evaluated
in both single- and repeat-dose studies performed in rats, dogs, and monkeys across
a range of doses from 2.1 to 360 mg/kg. The highest doses in the single dose
toxicity studies in rats and dogs were 360 mg/kg and 210 mg/kg, respectively.
Toxicities observed were limited to transient injection site swelling observed
in rats and dogs at the highest doses tested, and increased AST at highest dose
in the dog study, both resolved during recovery period.
The highest dose in the 28-day repeated-dose toxicity
study in rats was 360 mg/kg/day. The toxicity at this dose was limited to
transient limb swelling and local injection site bruising and swelling. The
highest dose in the 14-day repeated-dose toxicity study in monkeys was 300
mg/kg/day or approximately 7-8 times human dose. Toxicities observed in female
monkeys at this dose included internal bleeding, hematological changes and
liver toxicity, with one out of three female animals showing multifocal hepatic
necrosis. Both sexes showed increased AST and ALK on day 15, with both parameters
returning to normal by day 22. There was no adverse effect in monkeys dosed
with 120 mg/kg/day.
Clinical Studies
The efficacy of ATryn to prevent the occurrence of venous
thromboembolic events was assessed by comparing the incidence of the occurrence
of such events in 31 ATryn treated hereditary AT deficient patients with the
incidence in 35 human plasma-derived AT treated hereditary AT deficient patients.
Data on ATryn-treated patients were derived from two prospective, single-arm,
open-label studies. Data on plasma AT treated patients were collected from a
prospectively designed concurrently conducted retrospective chart review.
Patients in both studies had confirmed hereditary AT deficiency (AT activity ≤
60% of normal) and a personal history of thromboembolic events. Patients had to
be treated in the peri-operative and peri-partum period. ATryn was administered
as a continuous infusion for at least 3 days, starting one day prior to the
surgery or delivery. Plasma AT was administered for at least two days as single
bolus infusions. Due to the retrospective nature of the study, dosing was done with
the locally available AT concentrate according to the local practice.
The occurrence of a venous thromboembolic event was
confirmed if signs and symptoms for such events were confirmed by a specific
diagnostic assessment, or when treatment for an event was initiated based on
diagnostic imaging, without the presence of signs and symptoms. The efficacy
was assessed during treatment with AT and up to 7 days after stopping AT
treatment.
In the ATryn-treated group there was one confirmed
diagnosis of an acute deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The incidence of any thromboembolic
event from the start of treatment to 7 days after last dosing is summarized by
treatment group in Table 6 as are the Clopper-Pearson exact 95% CI for the
proportion of patients with a thromboembolic event and the exact 95% lower
confidence bound for the difference between treatments.
Table 6: Overall Incidence of Any Confirmed Thromboembolic
Event
Plasma AT |
No. of Pts. Assessed |
No. of Pts. with Events |
% of Pts. with Events |
95% CI* |
35 |
0 |
0.0 |
0.00, 10.00 |
ATryn |
No. of Pts. Assessed |
No. of Pts. with Events |
% of Pts. with Events |
95% CI |
31 |
|
3.2 |
0.08, 16.70 |
*The 95% confidence intervals were calculated using Clopper-Pearson
methodology.
AT=Antithrombin; No.=Number; Pts.=Patients; CI=Confidence Interval |
The lower 95% confidence bound of difference between treatment
groups was -0.167, a value that is greater than the pre-specified lower
confidence bound of -0.20. This demonstrates that ATryn was non-inferior to
plasma AT in terms of the prevention of peri-operative or peri-partum
thromboembolic events.
Supportive data come from a study in the same population with
5 hereditary AT deficient patients treated on 6 occasions in a compassionate
use program and provides additional reassurance of the efficacy of ATryn. None
of these patients reported a thromboembolic event.2
REFERENCES
(2) Konkle BA, Bauer KA, Weinstein R, Greist A, Holmes
HE, Bonfiglio J. Use of recombinant human antithrombin in patients with
congenital antithrombin deficiency undergoing surgical procedures. Transfusion 2003
March; 43(3):390-4.
(3) Edmunds T, Van Patten SM, Pollock J et al.
Transgenically produced human antithrombin: structural and functional comparison
to human plasma-derived antithrombin. Blood 1998 June 15;91(12):4561-71.
(5) Maclean PS, Tait RC. Hereditary and acquired antithrombin
deficiency: epidemiology, pathogenesis and treatment options. Drugs 2007;67(10):1429-40.
(6) Buchanan GS, Rodgers GM, Ware Branch. The inherited thrombophilias:
genetics, epidemiology, and laboratory evaluation. Best Pract Res Clin Obstet
Gynaecol 2003 June;17(3):397-411.
(7) Walker ID, Greaves M, Preston FE. Investigation and management
of heritable thrombophilia. Br J Haematol 2001;114:512-28.