From Mdwiki | Names | |
|---|---|
| Trade names | Qalsody |
| Clinical data | |
| Drug class | Antisense oligonucleotide[1] |
| Main uses | Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)[1] |
| Side effects | Tiredness, pain, myelitis, increased intracranial pressure, aseptic meningitis[1] |
| Routes of use | Intrathecal |
| Legal | |
| License data | |
| Legal status | |
| Chemical and physical data | |
| Formula | C230H317N72O123P19S15 |
| Molar mass | 7127.85 g·mol−1 |
Tofersen, sold under the brand name Qalsody, is a medication used to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).[1] Specifically it is used in people with a mutation of the gene superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), which is present in 2% of cases.[1][3] It is given by injection into the spinal cord.[1]
Common side effects include tiredness, joint pain, increased CSF white blood cells, and muscle pain.[1] Other side effect may include myelitis, increased intracranial pressure, and aseptic meningitis.[1] It is an antisense oligonucleotide which decreases superoxide dismutase 1 production.[1]
Tofersen was approved for medical use in the United States in 2023.[1] As of 2023 it costs about 158,000 USD per year in the United States.[3] It received orphan medication status in Europe in 2016.[4]
Tofersen is indicated to treat people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) associated with a mutation in the superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) gene (SOD1-ALS).[2] This mutation is present in about 2% of cases.[3]
Approval was based on a decrease in plasma neurofilament light chain rather than improved outcomes for the people in question.[1]
It is given as a dose of 100 mg every two weeks for 3 doses and than every 4 weeks after that.[1]
Tofersen was developed by Ionis Pharmaceuticals and was licensed to, and co-developed by, Biogen.[5][6]
The effectiveness of tofersen was evaluated in a 28-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study in 147 participants with weakness attributable to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and a superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD-1) mutation confirmed by a central laboratory.[2] The study randomly assigned 108 participants in a 2:1 ratio to receive treatment with either tofersen 100 mg (n = 72) or placebo (n = 36) for 24 weeks (three loading doses followed by five maintenance doses).[2] The participants were approximately 43% female; 57% male; 64% White; and 8% Asian.[2] The average age was 49.8 years (range from 23 to 78 years).[2]
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted the application for tofersen priority review, orphan drug, and fast track designations.[2]
Only around 1-2% of ALS cases diagnosed in the United States each year carry the specific SOD1 mutation targeted by the drug.[7] Fewer than 500 people a year are expected to be eligible for the drug, which is expected to cost over $100,000 for a year's treatment.[2][8][9][10]
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Categories: [Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis] [Therapeutic gene modulation] [Orphan drugs] [RTT]