1. Short-Term Administration of Mycophenolate Is Well-Tolerated in CLN3 Disease (Juvenile Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis)
- Author
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Heather R. Adams, Christopher A. Beck, Jill M. Weimer, Jonathan W. Mink, Sara Defendorf, Derek J. Timm, Erika F. Augustine, Amy Vierhile, and Frederick J. Marshall
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,medicine.medical_specialty ,business.industry ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Immunosuppression ,030105 genetics & heredity ,Mycophenolate ,Placebo ,Crossover study ,Article ,Clinical trial ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Tolerability ,Internal medicine ,medicine ,Vomiting ,medicine.symptom ,business ,Adverse effect ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery - Abstract
Mycophenolate, an immunosuppressant, is commonly used off-label for autoimmune neurological conditions. In CLN3 disease, a neurodegenerative disorder of childhood, preclinical and clinical data suggest secondary autoimmunity and inflammation throughout the central nervous system are key components of pathogenesis. We tested the short-term tolerability of mycophenolate in individuals with CLN3 disease, in preparation for possible long-term efficacy trials of this drug. We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study of mycophenolate in 19 ambulatory individuals with CLN3 disease to determine the safety and tolerability of short-term administration (NCT01399047). The study included two 8-week treatment periods with a 4-week intervening washout. Mycophenolate was well tolerated. 89.5% of participants completed the mycophenolate arm, on the assigned study dose (95% CI: 66.9-98.7%), and there were no significant differences in tolerability rates between mycophenolate and placebo arms (10.5%; 95% CI: -3.3-24.3%, p = 0.21). All reported adverse events were mild in severity; the most common adverse events on mycophenolate were vomiting (31.6%; 95% CI: 12.6-56.6%), diarrhea (15.8%; 95% CI: 3.4-39.6%), and cough (15.8%; 95% CI: 3.4-39.6%). These did not occur at a significantly increased frequency above placebo. There were no definite effects on measured autoimmunity or clinical outcomes in the setting of short-term administration. Study of long-term exposure is needed to test the impact of mycophenolate on key clinical features and CLN3 disease trajectory.
- Published
- 2018
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