" class="no-js "lang="en-US"> New Roche Data for Evrysdi Show Improved Motor Function in Pre-symptomatic Babies after One Year - Medtech Alert
Thursday, March 28, 2024

New Roche Data for Evrysdi Show Improved Motor Function in Pre-symptomatic Babies after One Year

Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) today announced new interim data from two studies of Evrysdi ® (risdiplam); JEWELFISH and RAINBOWFISH. Data from JEWELFISH, an ongoing open-label study primarily evaluating the safety of Evrysdi in people aged 1 to 60 years who have been previously treated with another SMA-targeting therapy, including nusinersen and onasemnogene abeparvovec, showed the safety profile of Evrysdi and increase in SMN protein levels are consistent with those observed in other Evrysdi studies.

Interim exploratory efficacy data from JEWELFISH also suggest stabilization in motor function at one year of treatment as measured by change from baseline in motor function measure (MFM 32). A recent survey from SMA Europe showed that almost 97% of people living with SMA reported disease stabilisation as progress.

Preliminary efficacy data from RAINBOWFISH, an ongoing open label study evaluating Evrysdi in babies from birth to six weeks with pre-symptomatic SMA, showed that infants treated for 12 months achieved age appropriate motor milestones, including sitting, standing and walking, and improvements in motor function. These data will be presented at the 2021 Virtual SMA Research & Clinical Care Meeting from June 9-11 2021.

“These data from JEWELFISH add to the growing body of evidence supporting the use of Evrysdi in patients from one to 60 years of age,” said Levi Garraway, M.D., Ph. D., Roche’s Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Product Development. “Moreover, the early findings from RAINBOWFISH in pre-symptomatic babies under two months old are very encouraging. Altogether, we are hopeful that Evrysdi will continue to help address unmet treatment needs of the diverse SMA community.”

The JEWELFISH study enrolled the broadest patient population ever studied in an SMA trial, including patients with SMA Types 1-3 who received prior treatment across a wide range of age and disease severities.

Of the 174 people enrolled, 30% were teenagers and 35% adults, 62% had a HFMSE* score of less than 10 at baseline, 80% had scoliosis and 47% had undergone scoliosis surgery. Seventy-six people had previously been treated with nusinersen and 14 with onasemnogene abeparvovec. Evrysdi led to a sustained >2-fold increase in median SMN protein levels versus baseline in all patients who received prior treatment, irrespective of which treatment was previously received or SMA type.

The overall AE profile of Evrysdi treatment in pre-treated patients was consistent with that of treatment-naïve patients in FIREFISH and SUNFISH. The most common adverse events in all patients were upper respiratory tract infection (17%), pyrexia (17%), headache (16%), nausea (12%), diarrhea (11%), nasopharyngitis (10%) and vomiting (8%). The most common serious adverse events were pneumonia (2%) lower respiratory tract infection (2%), upper respiratory tract infection (2%) and respiratory failure (2%). There were no treatment-related adverse events leading to withdrawal or treatment discontinuation in JEWELFISH, with some patients receiving treatment for more than three years. The study is ongoing and the primary analysis will be conducted at month 24.

“Data from the JEWELFISH study, which included a diverse patient population with a high degree of motor impairment, show that Evrysdi has a favourable safety profile in patients previously treated with an SMA-targeting therapy,” said Dr Claudia Chiriboga, Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics, Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, USA. “Importantly, the data also suggest a stabilisation of motor function in trial participants. As a progressive disease, untreated patients with SMA typically show a decline in motor function over time.”

Roche also presented preliminary efficacy data from RAINBOWFISH, which showed that of the five babies treated with Evrysdi for at least 12 months, all achieved sitting without support, rolling and crawling. Of the five, two had two SMN copies and three had >2 copies. Four of the infants were able to stand unaided and walk independently. In addition, four babies reached a maximum score of 64 on the CHOP-INTEND** scale, and one scored 63. Data on the primary endpoint, the number of infants sitting without support for at least five seconds, will be reported when all primary analysis patients have reached one year of treatment. Recruitment for RAINBOWFISH is ongoing.

The most common adverse events were nasal congestion (33%), cough (25%), teething (25%), vomiting (25%), eczema (17%), abdominal pain (17%), diarrhea (17%), gastroenteritis (17%), papule (rash; 17%) and pyrexia (fever; 17%). There were no adverse events leading to withdrawal or study discontinuation.

Roche leads the clinical development of Evrysdi as part of a collaboration with the SMA Foundation and PTC Therapeutics. 

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