49
FERTILITAE NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA Dr Filippo Gherlinzoni Dire.ore Unità Opera4va Complessa di Ematologia Ospedale CaFoncello- Treviso Treviso, 17-18 novembre 2017

FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

  • Upload
    others

  • View
    2

  • Download
    0

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Page 1: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

FERTILITA’ E NUOVI FARMACI

IN EMATOLOGIA

DrFilippoGherlinzoniDire.oreUnitàOpera4vaComplessadiEmatologiaOspedale“Ca’Foncello”-Treviso

Treviso, 17-18 novembre 2017

Page 2: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

TOXICOLOGICAL SCIENCES 122(1), 1–6 (2011)

doi:10.1093/toxsci/kfr088

Thalidomide: The Tragedy of Birth Defects and the EffectiveTreatment of Disease

James H. Kim*,1 and Anthony R. Scialli†

*ILSI Health and Environmental Sciences Institute, Washington, DC 20005; and †Tetra Tech Sciences, Arlington, Virginia 22201-3397

1To whom correspondence should be addressed at ILSI Health and Environmental Sciences Institute, 1156 15th Street, NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20005.Fax: (202) 659-3617. E-mail: [email protected].

Received January 28, 2011; accepted April 2, 2011

Thalidomide was a widely used drug in the late 1950s and early1960s for the treatment of nausea in pregnant women. It becameapparent in the 1960s that thalidomide treatment resulted insevere birth defects in thousands of children. Though the use ofthalidomide was banned in most countries at that time,thalidomide proved to be a useful treatment for leprosy and later,multiple myeloma. In rural areas of the world that lack extensivemedical surveillance initiatives, thalidomide treatment of preg-nant women with leprosy has continued to cause malformations.Research on thalidomide mechanisms of action is leading toa better understanding of molecular targets. With an improvedunderstanding of these molecular targets, safer drugs may bedesigned. The thalidomide tragedy marked a turning point intoxicity testing, as it prompted United States and internationalregulatory agencies to develop systematic toxicity testing proto-cols; the use of thalidomide as a tool in developmental biology ledto important discoveries in the biochemical pathways of limbdevelopment. In celebration of the Society of Toxicology’s 50thAnniversary, which coincides with the 50th anniversary of thewithdrawal of thalidomide from the market, it is appropriate torevisit the lessons learned from the thalidomide tragedy of the1960s.Key Words: birth defects; teratogen; multiple myeloma; leprosy;

testing.

Thalidomide was first marketed in the late 1950s asa sedative and was used in the treatment of nausea in pregnantwomen (Fig. 1). Within a few years of the widespread use ofthalidomide in Europe, Australia, and Japan, approximately10,000 children were born with phocomelia, leading to the banof thalidomide in most countries in 1961. Some countriescontinued to provide access to thalidomide for a couple ofyears thereafter (Lenz, 1988). In addition to limb reductionanomalies, other effects later attributed to thalidomide includedcongenital heart disease, malformations of the inner and outer

ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stromland, 1999).The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United Statesbecause of the hold on its approval by Dr Frances Kelsey of theU.S. Food and Drug Administration, who was recognized byPresident John F. Kennedy as a recipient of the Gold MedalAward for Distinguished Civilian Service. Dr Kelsey’sdecision to hold the approval of thalidomide was not becauseof the birth defects, which had not yet been attributed tothalidomide, but because of her concerns about peripheralneuropathy (sometimes irreversible) in the patient and thepotential effects a biologically active drug could have aftertreatment of pregnant women. The thalidomide tragedy alsobrought into sharp focus the importance of rigorous andrelevant testing of pharmaceuticals prior to their introductioninto the marketplace (Kelsey, 1988). Dr Kelsey was awardedan honorary membership to the Society of Toxicology incelebration of its 50th Anniversary in 2011.Josef Warkany, one of the founders of the Teratology

Society, doubted in April of 1962 that thalidomide wasresponsible for the epidemic of limb defects (Warkany, 1988).His reasoning was that rat experiments had not producedcomparable malformations and that malformations in humanswere inconsistent (i.e., some mothers who were exposed tothalidomide had normal children and some malformationsoccurred in children whose mothers did not knowingly takethalidomide) (Warkany, 1988). The thalidomide episode led tothe adoption of requirements for the systematic testing ofpharmaceutical products for developmental toxicity prior tomarketing. The adoption of these requirements is sometimesconsidered a benefit of the thalidomide tragedy. The legacyof thalidomide extends further than the creation of detailedtesting protocols. With thalidomide came, the widespreadrecognition that differences in sensitivity between speciesrequired consideration. As a consequence, developmentaltoxicity testing for pharmaceuticals is conducted in two

! The Author 2011. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Toxicology. All rights reserved.For permissions, please email: [email protected]

Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/toxsci/article-abstract/122/1/1/1672454by gueston 05 November 2017

species, one of which is not a rodent. It is not clear, however,that the routine use of the second species (usually rabbit) hasresulted in better testing, and it has been suggested that a morethorough understanding of results in a single species may bepreferable (Janer et al., 2008).

In order to address potential developmental and reproductivetoxicities of pharmaceuticals, the U.S. FDA (1966) laid thefoundation for the development of the segment I (fertility andgeneral reproduction), II (teratogenicity), and III (perinatal)testing protocols in 1966. Prior to the development of thesegment I, II, and III testing protocols, toxicology testing wasmore hypothesis driven rather than a systematic bioassaytesting strategy that is in place today. The segment I, II, and IIIstudies, or their International Conference on Harmonisationand Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Developmentequivalents, are performed in addition to routine short-term,subchronic, and chronic toxicity assays and have been in placewith little change for over 40 years.

An examination of the PubMed literature database revealeda bimodal pattern (Fig. 2) in the number of citations containing

thalidomide as a keyword. As a direct result of the thalidomidetragedy in the early 1960s, not surprisingly, there was a steadynumber of publications in that decade. Because of the ban in itsuse, interest in thalidomide waned in the 1970s and 1980s. Forreasons that will be described below, the number ofthalidomide publications began increasing in the latter half ofthe 1990s and have increased dramatically in the last 10 years.Though its use in pregnant women was banned in 1961,thalidomide continues to be used in the treatment of leprosybecause of its immunomodulatory properties. The WorldHealth Organization still does not recommend thalidomidefor the treatment of leprosy because of its use in areas of poormedical surveillance resulting in a number of thalidomide-affected children (http://www.who.int/lep/research/thalidomide/en/).

In 1998, thalidomide was approved by the U.S. Food andDrug Administration for the treatment of leprosy and, sub-sequently, for multiple myeloma. Studies are ongoing to evaluatethe effectiveness of thalidomide in the treatment of otherdiseases. Thalidomide inhibits angiogenesis and could be usedto treat human diseases that are dependent on angiogenesis.Inhibition of angiogenesis is one of the proposed mechanisms ofaction for thalidomide’s teratogenic properties (discussed below).

As a ‘‘model’’ teratogen, thalidomide is also being used asa tool to evaluate the predictivity of alternative testing methodssuch as in vitro assays.

WINDOWS OF EXPOSURE AND DOSE

Toxicologists have long held dear the tenet of Paracelsus that‘‘All substances are poisons; there is none which is nota poison. The right dose differentiates a poison from a remedy.’’

FIG. 2. Number of PubMed entries for thalidomide publications by year (searched on 12/27/2010).

FIG. 1. Structure of thalidomide.

2 KIM AND SCIALLI

Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/toxsci/article-abstract/122/1/1/1672454by gueston 05 November 2017

IMIDEDELL’ACIDOn-FTALIL-GLUTAMMICO

Page 3: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

TALIDOMIDE

•  INTRODOTTA SUL MERCATO IN EUROPA,AUSTRALIA E GIAPPONE NEL 1957 COMESEDATIVO-IPNOTICO DA BANCO E COMEFARMACO ANTI-NAUSEA/VOMITO DELLE PRIMESETTIMANEDIGRAVIDANZA.

•  RITENUTAMOLECOLAASSOLUTAMENTEINNOCUA

E PRIVA DI RILEVANTI EFFETTI COLLATERALIANCHE SULLA BASE DI STUDI PRE-CLINICISULL’ANIMALE (VALUTATI A POSTERIORI, STUDIDIBASSISSIMAQUALITA'CONDOTTIUNICAMENTESULTOPO).

Page 4: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

•  SI STIMA CHE DAL 1957 AL 1961 CIRCA 5 MILIONI DI INDIVIDUI ABBIANO ASSUNTO REGOLARMENTE TALIDOMIDE.

•  DAL 1957 AL 1961 CIRCA 10-15.000 CASI DI NATI CON GRAVISSIME MALFORMAZIONI (FOCOMELIA, CARDIOPATIE CONGENITE, ANORMALITA’ DELLO SVILUPPO OCULARE E DELL’ORECCHIO INTERNO ED ESTERNO).

TALIDOMIDE

•  IL 18 NOVEMBRE 1961, IN OCCASIONE DI UN CONGRESSO MEDICO A DUSSELDORF, IL PEDIATRA WILDURIND LENZ ESPRESSE PER LA PRIMA VOLTA IL FONDATO SOSPETTO CHE LA TALIDOMIDE POTESSE ESSERE R E S P O N S A B I L E D E L L ’ A U M E N T O I M P R O V V I S O D I M A L F O R M A Z I O N I NEONATALI, QUANDO ASSUNTA TRA LA 3a E L’8a SETTIMANA DI GESTAZIONE ALLA DOSE DI 1 MG/KG.

Page 5: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold
Page 6: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

•  DICEMBRE 1961: LA PROCURA DI AQUISGRANA IMPOSE IL RITIRO DAL MERCATO DEL FARMACO E AVVIO’ I PRIMI PROVVEDIMENTI GIUDIZIARI.

•  1965: DOCUMENTAZIONE DI EFFICACIA TERAPEUTICA

NELL’ERITEMA NODOSO LEPROMATOSO.

TALIDOMIDE

•  1980-1990: DIMOSTRAZIONE DEGLI EFFETTIANTI-ANGIOGENETICI E DI INIBIZIONE DELTNF-α (IMPIEGO IN ALCUNE FORME DIINFEZIONEAVANZATADAHIV).

•  1999:SINGHALS,BARLOGIEB.NEJM1999 ANTITUMORACTIVITYOFTHALIDOMIDEIN

REFRACTORYMULTIPLEMYELOMA

Page 7: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

Volume 341 Number 21

·

1565

ANTITUMOR ACTIVITY OF THALIDOMIDE IN REFRACTORY MULTIPLE MYELOMA

ANTITUMOR ACTIVITY OF THALIDOMIDE IN REFRACTORYMULTIPLE MYELOMA

S

EEMA

S

INGHAL

, M.D., J

AYESH

M

EHTA

, M.D., R

AMAN

D

ESIKAN

, M.D., D

AN

A

YERS

, M.S., P

AULA

R

OBERSON

, P

H

.D.,P

AUL

E

DDLEMON

, B.S., N

IKHIL

M

UNSHI

, M.D., E

LIAS

A

NAISSIE

, M.D., C

ARLA

W

ILSON

, M.D., P

H

.D., M

ADHAV

D

HODAPKAR

, M.D., J

EROME

Z

ELDIS

, M.D.,

AND

B

ART

B

ARLOGIE

, M.D., P

H

.D.

A

BSTRACT

Background

Patients with myeloma who relapseafter high-dose chemotherapy have few therapeuticoptions. Since increased bone marrow vascularityimparts a poor prognosis in myeloma, we evaluatedthe efficacy of thalidomide, which has antiangiogenicproperties, in patients with refractory disease.

Methods

Eighty-four previously treated patientswith refractory myeloma (76 with a relapse after high-dose chemotherapy) received oral thalidomide as asingle agent for a median of 80 days (range, 2 to 465).The starting dose was 200 mg daily, and the dose wasincreased by 200 mg every two weeks until it reached800 mg per day. Response was assessed on the ba-sis of a reduction of the myeloma protein in serumor Bence Jones protein in urine that lasted for at leastsix weeks.

Results

The serum or urine levels of paraproteinwere reduced by at least 90 percent in eight patients(two had a complete remission), at least 75 percentin six patients, at least 50 percent in seven patients,and at least 25 percent in six patients, for a total rateof response of 32 percent. Reductions in the parapro-tein levels were apparent within two months in 78percent of the patients with a response and were as-sociated with decreased numbers of plasma cells inbone marrow and increased hemoglobin levels. Themicrovascular density of bone marrow did not changesignificantly in patients with a response. At least onethird of the patients had mild or moderate constipa-tion, weakness or fatigue, or somnolence. More se-vere adverse effects were infrequent (occurring in lessthan 10 percent of patients), and hematologic effectswere rare. As of the most recent follow-up, 36 pa-tients had died (30 with no response and 6 with a re-sponse). After 12 months of follow-up, Kaplan–Meierestimates of the mean (±SE) rates of event-free sur-vival and overall survival for all patients were 22±5percent and 58±5 percent, respectively.

Conclusions

Thalidomide is active against ad-vanced myeloma. It can induce marked and durableresponses in some patients with multiple myeloma,including those who relapse after high-dose chemo-therapy. (N Engl J Med 1999;341:1565-71.)

©1999, Massachusetts Medical Society.

From the Myeloma and Lymphoma Program, South Carolina CancerCenter, University of South Carolina, Columbia (S.S., J.M.); the Myelomaand Transplantation Research Center, University of Arkansas for MedicalSciences, Little Rock (R.D., D.A., P.R., P.E., N.M., E.A., C.W., J.Z., B.B.);and the Laboratory of Cellular Physiology and Immunology, RockefellerUniversity, New York (M.D.). Address reprint requests to Dr. Barlogie atthe Myeloma and Transplantation Research Center, University of Arkansasfor Medical Sciences, 4301 W. Markham, Slot 623, Little Rock, AR 72205.

Other authors were David Siegel, M.D., Ph.D., University of Arkansasfor Medical Sciences, Little Rock, and John Crowley, Ph.D., Fred Hutch-inson Cancer Research Center, Seattle.

ULTIPLE myeloma accounts for ap-proximately 1 percent of all cancers and10 percent of hematologic cancers. Itis incurable with conventional chemo-

therapy.

1

Melphalan-based high-dose chemotherapywith hematopoietic stem-cell support increases therate of complete remission and extends event-free andoverall survival.

2-4

However, many patients still relapse,and options for salvage therapy are limited.

5,6

Angiogenesis is important in embryogenesis, woundhealing, diabetic retinopathy, and tumor progression.

7,8

The immunomodulatory drug thalidomide can inhib-it angiogenesis and induce apoptosis of establishedneovasculature in experimental models.

9,10

For thesereasons, angiogenesis-inhibiting drugs such as tha-lidomide may be useful for treating cancers that de-pend on neovascularization.

Prominent bone marrow vascularization occurs inmultiple myeloma. It correlates positively with a highplasma-cell–labeling index (a poor prognostic sign)and disease activity and independently confers a poorprognosis.

11-16

Plasma levels of various angiogenic cy-tokines, such as basic fibroblast growth factor andvascular endothelial growth factor, are elevated in pa-tients with active myeloma.

11-13,16

In 1965, Olson et al.reported slowing of disease progression in one pa-tient who was treated with thalidomide.

17

These con-siderations led us to administer thalidomide to fivepatients with end-stage myeloma through a compas-sionate-use protocol. One patient with a large tumorburden (as indicated by an IgA level of 8.4 g per dec-iliter, the presence of more than 95 percent plasmacells in bone marrow, and the need for transfusion),who had had no response to two cycles of high-dosechemotherapy followed by multiple salvage therapies,had a nearly complete remission within three monthsafter the initiation of thalidomide therapy. This ob-servation prompted a phase 2 investigation of tha-

M

The New England Journal of Medicine Downloaded from nejm.org on November 5, 2017. For personal use only. No other uses without permission.

Copyright © 1999 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.

Volume 341 Number 21

·

1565

ANTITUMOR ACTIVITY OF THALIDOMIDE IN REFRACTORY MULTIPLE MYELOMA

ANTITUMOR ACTIVITY OF THALIDOMIDE IN REFRACTORYMULTIPLE MYELOMA

S

EEMA

S

INGHAL

, M.D., J

AYESH

M

EHTA

, M.D., R

AMAN

D

ESIKAN

, M.D., D

AN

A

YERS

, M.S., P

AULA

R

OBERSON

, P

H

.D.,P

AUL

E

DDLEMON

, B.S., N

IKHIL

M

UNSHI

, M.D., E

LIAS

A

NAISSIE

, M.D., C

ARLA

W

ILSON

, M.D., P

H

.D., M

ADHAV

D

HODAPKAR

, M.D., J

EROME

Z

ELDIS

, M.D.,

AND

B

ART

B

ARLOGIE

, M.D., P

H

.D.

A

BSTRACT

Background

Patients with myeloma who relapseafter high-dose chemotherapy have few therapeuticoptions. Since increased bone marrow vascularityimparts a poor prognosis in myeloma, we evaluatedthe efficacy of thalidomide, which has antiangiogenicproperties, in patients with refractory disease.

Methods

Eighty-four previously treated patientswith refractory myeloma (76 with a relapse after high-dose chemotherapy) received oral thalidomide as asingle agent for a median of 80 days (range, 2 to 465).The starting dose was 200 mg daily, and the dose wasincreased by 200 mg every two weeks until it reached800 mg per day. Response was assessed on the ba-sis of a reduction of the myeloma protein in serumor Bence Jones protein in urine that lasted for at leastsix weeks.

Results

The serum or urine levels of paraproteinwere reduced by at least 90 percent in eight patients(two had a complete remission), at least 75 percentin six patients, at least 50 percent in seven patients,and at least 25 percent in six patients, for a total rateof response of 32 percent. Reductions in the parapro-tein levels were apparent within two months in 78percent of the patients with a response and were as-sociated with decreased numbers of plasma cells inbone marrow and increased hemoglobin levels. Themicrovascular density of bone marrow did not changesignificantly in patients with a response. At least onethird of the patients had mild or moderate constipa-tion, weakness or fatigue, or somnolence. More se-vere adverse effects were infrequent (occurring in lessthan 10 percent of patients), and hematologic effectswere rare. As of the most recent follow-up, 36 pa-tients had died (30 with no response and 6 with a re-sponse). After 12 months of follow-up, Kaplan–Meierestimates of the mean (±SE) rates of event-free sur-vival and overall survival for all patients were 22±5percent and 58±5 percent, respectively.

Conclusions

Thalidomide is active against ad-vanced myeloma. It can induce marked and durableresponses in some patients with multiple myeloma,including those who relapse after high-dose chemo-therapy. (N Engl J Med 1999;341:1565-71.)

©1999, Massachusetts Medical Society.

From the Myeloma and Lymphoma Program, South Carolina CancerCenter, University of South Carolina, Columbia (S.S., J.M.); the Myelomaand Transplantation Research Center, University of Arkansas for MedicalSciences, Little Rock (R.D., D.A., P.R., P.E., N.M., E.A., C.W., J.Z., B.B.);and the Laboratory of Cellular Physiology and Immunology, RockefellerUniversity, New York (M.D.). Address reprint requests to Dr. Barlogie atthe Myeloma and Transplantation Research Center, University of Arkansasfor Medical Sciences, 4301 W. Markham, Slot 623, Little Rock, AR 72205.

Other authors were David Siegel, M.D., Ph.D., University of Arkansasfor Medical Sciences, Little Rock, and John Crowley, Ph.D., Fred Hutch-inson Cancer Research Center, Seattle.

ULTIPLE myeloma accounts for ap-proximately 1 percent of all cancers and10 percent of hematologic cancers. Itis incurable with conventional chemo-

therapy.

1

Melphalan-based high-dose chemotherapywith hematopoietic stem-cell support increases therate of complete remission and extends event-free andoverall survival.

2-4

However, many patients still relapse,and options for salvage therapy are limited.

5,6

Angiogenesis is important in embryogenesis, woundhealing, diabetic retinopathy, and tumor progression.

7,8

The immunomodulatory drug thalidomide can inhib-it angiogenesis and induce apoptosis of establishedneovasculature in experimental models.

9,10

For thesereasons, angiogenesis-inhibiting drugs such as tha-lidomide may be useful for treating cancers that de-pend on neovascularization.

Prominent bone marrow vascularization occurs inmultiple myeloma. It correlates positively with a highplasma-cell–labeling index (a poor prognostic sign)and disease activity and independently confers a poorprognosis.

11-16

Plasma levels of various angiogenic cy-tokines, such as basic fibroblast growth factor andvascular endothelial growth factor, are elevated in pa-tients with active myeloma.

11-13,16

In 1965, Olson et al.reported slowing of disease progression in one pa-tient who was treated with thalidomide.

17

These con-siderations led us to administer thalidomide to fivepatients with end-stage myeloma through a compas-sionate-use protocol. One patient with a large tumorburden (as indicated by an IgA level of 8.4 g per dec-iliter, the presence of more than 95 percent plasmacells in bone marrow, and the need for transfusion),who had had no response to two cycles of high-dosechemotherapy followed by multiple salvage therapies,had a nearly complete remission within three monthsafter the initiation of thalidomide therapy. This ob-servation prompted a phase 2 investigation of tha-

M

The New England Journal of Medicine Downloaded from nejm.org on November 5, 2017. For personal use only. No other uses without permission.

Copyright © 1999 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.

Page 8: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

•  GOLD MEDAL AWARD PERMERITI CIVILI NEL 1962INSIGNITA DAL PRESIDENTEJOHNFITZGERALDKENNEDY

•  NEL 2000 INSERITA NELLANATIONALWOMEN’S HALLOFFAME

FRANCES OLDHAM KELSEY (1914-2015)

Page 9: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

•  LATALIDOMIDENONE’TERATOGENANELTOPOONEL RATTO, MA LO E’ NEL PULCINO E NELCONIGLIO.

•  GLI EFFETTI TERATOGENI DIPENDONO DALLASETTIMANA DI GESTAZIONE E DALLA DOSERICEVUTA.

•  QUAL E’ IL MECCANISMO D’AZIONE DELLA SUATERATOGENICITA’?

TALIDOMIDE

-  STRESSOSSIDATIVODAPRODUZIONEDIROS-  ATTIVITA’INTERCALANTESULDNA-  INIBIZIONEDELL’ANGIOGENESI

Page 10: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

Identification of a Primary Target ofThalidomide TeratogenicityTakumi Ito,1* Hideki Ando,2* Takayuki Suzuki,3,4 Toshihiko Ogura,3 Kentaro Hotta,2Yoshimasa Imamura,5 Yuki Yamaguchi,2 Hiroshi Handa1,2†

Half a century ago, thalidomide was widely prescribed to pregnant women as a sedative but was foundto be teratogenic, causing multiple birth defects. Today, thalidomide is still used in the treatment ofleprosy and multiple myeloma, although how it causes limb malformation and other developmentaldefects is unknown. Here, we identified cereblon (CRBN) as a thalidomide-binding protein. CRBN formsan E3 ubiquitin ligase complex with damaged DNA binding protein 1 (DDB1) and Cul4A that isimportant for limb outgrowth and expression of the fibroblast growth factor Fgf8 in zebrafish and chicks.Thalidomide initiates its teratogenic effects by binding to CRBN and inhibiting the associated ubiquitinligase activity. This study reveals a basis for thalidomide teratogenicity and may contribute to thedevelopment of new thalidomide derivatives without teratogenic activity.

During the late 1950s and early 1960s,thalidomide was sold as a sedative inover 40 countries and was often pre-

scribed to pregnant women as a treatment formorning sickness. Before its teratogenic activitycame to light and its use was discontinued,~10,000 affected children were born fromwomen taking thalidomide during pregnancy(1–3). Use of thalidomide during weeks 3 to 8of gestation causes multiple birth defects such aslimb, ear, cardiac, and gastrointestinal malfor-mations (1–3). The limb malformations, knownas phocomelia and amelia, are characterized,respectively, by severe shortening or completeabsence of legs and/or arms, whereas the earmalformations lead to anotia, microtia, andhearing loss. Despite considerable effort, littleis known about how these developmentaldefects are caused. Previous studies havesuggested thalidomide-induced oxidative stressand its antiangiogenic action as a possible causeof teratogenicity (4, 5). However, several impor-tant questions remain unanswered, such as whatare direct targets of thalidomide and how thetarget molecules mediate its teratogenic effects.

Recently, thalidomide use has increased forthe treatment of multiple myeloma and erythe-ma nodosum leprosum, a painful complicationof leprosy (2, 3, 6, 7). Owing to its teratoge-nicity, however, thalidomide is used understrict control (8), and removal of its side ef-

fects is desirable for wider applications of thispotentially useful drug. It is important toelucidate the molecular mechanism of thalid-omide teratogenicity, especially to identify itsmolecular target(s), because such knowledgemight allow rapid screening for potentiallyuseful related compounds devoid of teratogenicactivity. In this regard, we have been developinghigh-performance affinity beads that allowsingle-step affinity purification of drug targetproteins from crude cell extracts (9). Here weshow that cereblon (CRBN), a protein en-coded by a candidate gene for mild mentalretardation, is a primary target of thalidomideteratogenicity.

Binding of thalidomide to CRBN and DDB1.To purify thalidomide-binding proteins, weperformed affinity purification using ferrite-glycidyl methacrylate (FG) beads (9). Thecarboxylic thalidomide derivative FR259625was covalently conjugated to the beads (fig.S1) and incubated with human HeLa cellextracts (10). After extensive washing, boundproteins were eluted with free thalidomide, andthe eluate fractions were subjected to SDS gelelectrophoresis and silver staining. Two poly-peptides were specifically eluted (Fig. 1A, lane3). When free thalidomide was added to extractsbefore incubation with the beads, the yields ofthese proteins were reduced (Fig. 1A, lane 4),which suggested that these proteins specificallyinteract with thalidomide. The 127- and 55-kDproteins were therefore subjected to proteolyticdigestion and tandem mass spectrometry andwere identified as CRBN and damaged DNAbinding protein 1 (DDB1), respectively (tableS1). Identities of these proteins were confirmedby immunoblotting (Fig. 1A). CRBN andDDB1 were isolated similarly as thalidomide-binding proteins from various cell types (fig. S2).To determine whether this interaction is direct, weused purified recombinant proteins. FLAG-taggedCRBN, but not V5 (GKPIPNPLLGLDST) (11)epitope- and histidine (His)–tagged DDB1,bound to thalidomide beads (Fig. 1B). Wetherefore asked whether DDB1 binds to thalid-omide beads through its interaction with CRBN.As expected, DDB1 was coprecipitated withFLAG- and hemagglutinin (HA) epitope–tagged(FH-) CRBN (Fig. 1C) and was not affinity-purified from CRBN-depleted 293T cells (fig.

RESEARCHARTICLE

1Integrated Research Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology,Yokohama 226-8503, Japan. 2Graduate School of Bioscienceand Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama226-8501, Japan. 3Institute of Development, Aging andCancer, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8575, Japan. 4Pre-cursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology,Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Saitama 332-0012, Japan. 5Drug Discovery Research, Astellas Pharma Inc.,Ibaraki 305-8585, Japan.

*These authors contributed equally to this work.†To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail:[email protected]

Fig. 1. Thalidomidebinds to CRBN andDDB1. (A) Thalidomide(Thal)-binding proteinswere purified from HeLacell extracts by usingthalidomide-immobilized(+) or control (–) beads.Where indicated, boundproteins were elutedwith free thalidomide.As indicated, 0.3 mMthalidomide was addedto extracts before incu-bation with the beads.Eluted proteins wereanalyzed by silver stain-ing (top) or immuno-blotting (IB) (bottom).Asterisk indicates non-specific signal. (B) Purifiedrecombinant CRBN-FLAGand DDB1-V5-His were,respectively, incubatedwith thalidomide beads. Input materials used for affinity purification(AP) and bound materials were immunoblotted. (C) FH-CRBN wasimmunoprecipitated (IP) from 293T cells stably expressing FH-CRBN or from control cells, followed bySDS gel electrophoresis and silver staining.

www.sciencemag.org SCIENCE VOL 327 12 MARCH 2010 1345

on

Nov

embe

r 6, 2

010

ww

w.s

cien

cem

ag.o

rgD

ownl

oade

d fro

m

ItoT.etal,Science2010

Page 11: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

COSA ABBIAMO IMPARATO DALLA TRAGEDIA DELLA TALIDOMIDE DEGLI ANNI ’50 E ‘60

a ) OGN I P RODOT TO F ARMACEUT I CO DOVREBB E E S S E R ESISTEMATICAMENTE TESTATO RIGUARDO ALLA “DEVELOPMENTALTOXICITY”PRIMADIPOTERESSEREIMMESSOSULMERCATO.

QUALSIASIEFFETTOINGRADODIINTERFERIRESULNORMALESVILUPPO

DIUNORGANISMO,PRIMAODOPOLANASCITA.INCLUDEEVENTIDIEMBRIOOFETO-TOSSICITA‘,DIFETTIPERIOPOST-NATALI,ALTERATO

SVILUPPOFISICOE/OMENTALEFINOALLAPUBERTA’b)CIPOSSONOESSERENOTEVOLIDIFFERENZEFRADIVERSESPECIEANIMALI

IN TERMINI D I SENS IB I L ITA’ E MANIFESTAZ IONI DELLA“DEVELOPMENTALTOXICITY”.

c) NEL TESTARE OGNI FARMACO VA UTILIZZATA ALMENO UNA SECONDA

SPECIEANIMALE,CONMETICOLOSAINTERPRETAZIONEDEIRISULTATI.

Page 12: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

d) ADOZIONE DI RIGOROSI PROGRAMMI DICONTROLLO, EDUCAZIONE E TUTELA DEIPAZIENTI CHE ASSUMONO TALIDOMIDE INETA’FERTILE

•  STEPS SYSTEM FOR THALIDOMIDEEDUCATIONANDPRESCRIBINGSAFETY(FDA)

•  PROGRAMMA DI PREVENZIONE DELLAGRAVIDANZADITALIDOMIDECELGENE

COSA ABBIAMO IMPARATO DALLA TRAGEDIA DELLA TALIDOMIDE DEGLI ANNI ’50 E ‘60

Page 13: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

PROGRAMMA DI PREVENZIONE DELLA GRAVIDANZA

•  CRITERI DI DEFINIZIONE DELLE DONNE NON POTENZIALMENTE FERTILI ETA’ ≥ 50 ANNI E PRESENZA DI AMENORREA

NATURALE DA ALMENO 1 ANNO •  ADOZIONE ININTERROTTA DI EFFICACI METODI

C O N T R A C C E T T I V I N E L L E 4 S E T T I M A N E PRECEDENTI L’INIZIO DEL TRATTAMENTO, PER L’INTERA DURATA DELLA TERAPIA E PER LE 4 SETTIMANE SUCCESSIVE ALLA FINE DEL TRATTAMENTO

•  TEST DI GRAVIDANZA OGNI 4 SETTIMANE •  LIMITAZIONI DI PRESCRIZIONE E DISPENSAZIONE

NELLE DONNE POTENZIALMENTE FERTILI (MAX 4 SETTIMANE DI TRATTAMENTO)

Page 14: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

PROGRAMMA DI PREVENZIONE DELLA GRAVIDANZA

NEGLI UOMINI: POICHE’ TALIDOMIDE E’ STATA

RILEVATA NEL LIQUIDO SEMINALE, I MASCHI CHE ASSUMONO IL FARMACO DEVONO ESSERE CONSAPEVOLI DEL RISCHIO TERATOGENO ED UTILIZZARE SISTEMATICAMENTE IL PROFILATTICO OLTRE ALLA ADOZIONE DA PARTE DELLA PROPRIA PARTNER DI METODI CONTRACCETTIVI EFFICACI.

Page 15: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

•  COUNSELLING• MATERIALEINFORMATIVO•  CONSENSOINFORMATO•  PARTECIPAZIONEAINDAGINIEPROGRAMMADISORVEGLIANZA

•  SCRUPOLOSAATTIVITA’DIFARMACOVIGILANZADAPARTEDELMEDICOPRESCRITTORE

PROGRAMMA DI PREVENZIONE DELLA GRAVIDANZA

Page 16: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

Lenalidomide(Revlimid®; CC-5013)

NNHO O

O

NH2

IMiDs are structurally similar, but functionally different both qualitatively and quantitatively

NN

O

O

O

O

Thalidomide Pomalidomide (CC-4047)

N

O

O

NHO

O

NH2

IMIDs IMMUNOMODULATORY DRUGS

Page 17: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

LENALIDOMIDE / POMALIDOMIDE

•  ENTRAMBETERATOGENENELLESCIMMIE,RATTIECONIGLI.•  MALFORMAZIONISIMILIAQUELLEINDOTTEDATALIDOMIDE.•  RIGOROSAADOZIONEDELPROGRAMMADIPREVENZIONE

DELLAGRAVIDANZASTABILITOPERLATALIDOMIDE.

SEUNFARMACOAPPARTIENEADUNACLASSEDIFARMACICHEE’GIA’STATABENCARATTERIZZATAINTERMINIDIDEVELOPMENTALTOXICITY,ALTRISPECIFICISTUDINON

VENGONORITENUTIESSENZIALI

Page 18: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

2013

Page 19: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

NUOVI FARMACI ANTI-TUMORALI E STUDI SULLA DEVELOPMENTAL TOXICITY

BORTEZOMIBCARFILZOMIBBRENTUXIMABIBRUTINIBIDELALISIBVENETOCLAX

•  LETTERATURA PRESSOCHE’ASSENTE

•  P O C H I S S I M I D A T IPROVENIENTI DALLE SCHEDETECNICHE

•  LINEE GUIDA LIMITATE INTERMINI DI DISEGNO ECONDUZIONE DI STUDI NONCLINICI CHE TESTINO LATOSSICITA’RIPRODUTTIVA

Page 20: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

NUOVI FARMACI ANTI-TUMORALI E STUDI SULLA DEVELOPMENTAL TOXICITY

IN MOLTI CASI, GLI STUDI SULLA DEVELOPMENTAL TOXICITYSONOCONSIDERATINONPRIORITARIPERLESEGUENTIRAGIONI:

• P E R CH E ’ I F A RMAC I V E NGONO U T I L I Z Z A T IPRINCIPALMENTE IN UNA POPOLAZIONE DI PAZIENTI INETA’NONFERTILEOPOST-MENOPAUSALE• PERCHE’ I PAZIENTI SOFFRONO DI UNA MALATTIARITENUTANONGUARIBILE,CONUNAASPETTATIVADIVITALIMITATA• RITENUTINONESSENZIALIPERSUPPORTARETRIALSCLINICIFINALIZZATI AL TRATTAMENTO DI PAZIENTI PER LO PIU’ANZIANICONMALATTIATUMORALEAVANZATA

Page 21: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

NUOVI FARMACI ANTI-TUMORALI E STUDI SULLA DEVELOPMENTAL TOXICITY

BORTEZOMIBCARFILZOMIBBRENTUXIMABIBRUTINIBIDELALISIBVENETOCLAX

•  NON SONO DISPONIBILI DATI CLINICIRELATIVIALL’ESPOSIZIONEAIFARMACIDURANTELAGRAVIDANZA

•  UOMINI E DONNE IN ETA’ FERTILEDEVONO USARE ADEGUATI METODICONTRACCETT I V I DURANTE I LT RATTAMENTO E NE I 3 MES ISUCCESSIVI

•  SONO EMBRIO E FETOTOSSICI SULL’ANIMALE (RATTO E CONIGLIO) INMANIERADOSE-DIPENDENTE

•  ALLATTAMENTO CONTROINDICATODURANTEILTRATTAMENTO

Page 22: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

NUOVI FARMACI ANTI-TUMORALI E STUDI SULLA DEVELOPMENTAL TOXICITY

•  IL RITUXIMAB FU APPROVATO DALLE AGENZIEREGOLATORIENEL1997PER IL TRATTAMENTODELLINFOMA FOLLICOLARE SENZA LA SOTTOMISSIONEDEI DATI NON-CLINICI RELATIVI ALLA TOSSICITA’RIPRODUTTIVA.

•  GLISTUDIDIEMBRYOFETALDEVELOPMENT(EFD)EDI PRE- AND POST-NATAL DEVELOPMENT (PPD)FURONOESEGUITIINSEGUITO,ASUPPORTODELLASOTTOMISSIONE PER LA COMMERCIALIZZAZIONEDELL’ANTICORPO IN PATOLOGIE NON-TUMORALI(adesempioDISORDINIAUTOIMMUNI).

Page 23: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

NUOVI FARMACI ANTI-TUMORALI E STUDI SULLA DEVELOPMENTAL TOXICITY

• IMODELLIANIMALINON-PRIMATINONSONOVALIDIPER TESTARE LA TOSSICITA’ DELLO SVILUPPO DEGLIANTICORPI MONOCLONALI. MA GLI STUDI SUIPRIMATIRIGUARDOALLATOSSICITA’DELLOSVILUPPOSONO MOLTO PIU’ DIFFICILI RISPETTO A QUELLI SUIRODITORI O SUI CONIGLI (BASSO NUMERO DIANIMALI CHE POSSONO ESSERE USATI, BASSONUMERO D I NAT I D I SPON IB I L I , E L EVATAPERCENTUALE DI ABORTI IN LABORATORIO, COSTIELEVATI).

Page 24: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

MIELOMA MULTIPLO Incidenza annuale = 3-4 casi/100.000 Età media alla diagnosi = 69 anni < 10 % dei pazienti ha meno di 50 anni > 20% dei pazienti ha più di 80 anni

37% > 75 anni

28% 65-75 anni 35% 25-64 anni

Page 25: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

LLC Età media alla diagnosi: 72 anni Età media alla morte per LLC: 79 anni Circa il 70% delle LLC hanno più di 65 anni alla diagnosi

< 45 anni = 2% 45 - 54 anni = 9% 55 - 64 anni = 19.5% 65 - 74 anni = 26.5% 75 - 84 anni = 30% ≥ 85 anni =13%

Page 26: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

FERTILITA’ E TKIs

18-29y30-39y40-49y50-59y60-69y70-79y≥80y

7,0%6.7%13.7%8,9%8,9%17.8%9.6%9.7%19.3%7.7%8.3%16.1%6.6%7.2%13.8%5.1%6.3%11.4%2.8%4.9%7.7%

AGEMALESFEMALESTOTAL

ITALIANCMLREGISTRY2008-2013AGEDISTRIBUTIONATDIAGNOSIS

MEDIAN AGE = 52 yrs

Page 27: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

FERTILITA’ E TKIs

TKI IN MODELLI ANIMALI (TOPO E CONIGLIO)

IMATINIB

•  NESSUN E F FETTO SUL LA F ERT I L I TA ’ NE ’NELL’ANIMALE MASCHIO NE’ NELL’ANIMALEFEMMINA

•  NELMASCHIOTRATTATOCONDOSAGGIDIIMATINIBCORRISPONDENTI AD UN DOSAGGIO PIU’ ELEVATORISPETTO ALLO STANDARD NELL’UOMO, OSSERVATIUNA RIDUZIONE DEL PESO DEI TESTICOLI E UNARIDUZIONEDELLAMOTILITA’DEGLISPERMATOZOI

Page 28: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

TKI IN MODELLI ANIMALI (TOPO E CONIGLIO)

IMATINIB • NELLA FEMMINA TRATTATA A DOSI STANDARD NESSUNAALTERAZIONE DEL PESO DELLE OVAIE E DELLAMORFOLOGIA DEIFOLLICOLIADIFFERENTISTADIMATURATIVI.• DURANTEL’ORGANOGENESIALLADOSECORRISPONDENTEA1000MG NELL’UOMO INDUZIONE DI EFFETTI TERATOGENISOPRATTUTTOALIVELLODELLEOSSACRANICHE(AGENESIADELLEOSSAFRONTALIEPARIETALI,ENCEFALOCELE,EXENCEFALIA). A DOSI > 1000 MG: PERDITA DEL FETO IN TUTTI GLI ANIMALITRATTATI.• IMATINIBE’ESCRETONELLATTEMATERNO

Page 29: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

FERTILITA’ E TKIs

TKI IN MODELLI ANIMALI (TOPO E CONIGLIO)

NILOTINIB

NESSUN EFFETTO SULLA FERTILITA’ NEGLI ANIMALI MASCHI OFEMMINE ALLE DOSI STANDARD. RISPETTO ALL’IMATINIB, NONEVIDENZADIEFFETTITERATOGENINELTOPOONELCONIGLIOADOSI STANDARD, MA EMBRIOTOSSICO E FETOTOSSICO A DOSIPIU’ELEVATE.NELFETOLACONCENTRAZIONETISSUTALEDELFARMACOE’PIU’BASSA RISPETTO ALLA CONCENTRAZIONE NEGLI ORGANIMATERNI, AD ECCEZIONE DEL FEGATO ( IN CUI LACONCENTRAZIONEFETALEE’1.6VOLTESUPERIORE).NILOTINIBE’ESCRETONELLATTEMATERNO.

Page 30: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

FERTILITA’ E TKIs

TKI IN MODELLI ANIMALI (TOPO E CONIGLIO)

DASATINIB

•  NON SEMBRARIDURRE LA FERTILITA’NEL TOPO, ANCHE SENELMASCHIOE’STATARIPORTATALARIDUZIONEDELPESOE DELLA CAPACITA’ SECRETIVA DELLA PROSTATA E DELLEVESCICOLESEMINALI

•  EMBRIOTOSSICO, FETOTOSSICO, INDUTTORE DIMORTE DELFETO,ADIVERSIDOSAGGI

•  TERATOGENICITA’ALIVELLOSCHELETRICO(OSSACRANICHE,SCAPOLE,COSTE)EDEPATICO(MICROEPATIA)

•  NON E’ CHIARO SE DASATINIB SIA ESCRETO NEL LATTEMATERNO

Page 31: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

FERTILITA’ E TKIs

TKI IN MODELLI ANIMALI (TOPO E CONIGLIO)

PONATINIB

•  SUGLI ORGANI RIPRODUTTIVI PUO’ INDURRE NEI TOPIDEGENERAZIONE DELL’EPITELIO TESTICOLARE E ATRESIAD E I F O L L I C O L I C O N A S S O C I A T A A T R O F I ADELL’ENDOMETRIONELLASCIMMIA

•  EMBRIOTOSSICOEFETOTOSSICOADIVERSIDOSAGGI•  INDUTTOREDIMALFORMAZIONIA LIVELLO SCHELETRICO

(VERTEBRE, STERNO, COSTE, OSSA DEL BACINO) MAANCHE A LIVELLO DI RENI, URETERI, OVAIO, GENITALIESTERNI,FEGATO,CUOREEGROSSIVASI(TRASPOSIZIONE)

Page 32: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

FERTILITA’ E TKIs

MASCHIO

TKIs NELL’UOMO

CIRCA 300 CASI SEGNALATI A TUTT’OGGI DIGRAVIDANZEINDONNEPARTNERSDIPAZIENTIMASCHIINTRATTAMENTOCONIMATINIBADOSISTANDARDNONE’STATORIPORTATOUNRISCHIOAUMENTATODI

MALFORMAZIONIODIABORTO

Page 33: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

FERTILITA’ E TKIs

MASCHIO

TKIs NELL’UOMO

•  30 CONCEPIMENTI DA PARTE DI MASCHI IN CORSO DIIMATINIB,CON34NASCITE

•  PARTOTRA34aE42aSETTIMANA,1BIMBOPRETERMINE.•  PESOMEDIOALLANASCITA:3.1KG(1.9-4.4),LUNGHEZZA50

CM•  1 CASO DI ITTERO NEONATALE, 1 CASO DI DISPLASIA

CONGENITADELL’ANCA•  NESSUNEVENTOMALFORMATIVO•  NESSUNPROBLEMARIPORTATONEIPRIMIANNIDIVITA(3-5

ANNI)

REGISTROGIMEMA(AbruzzeseE.etal,2015)

Page 34: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

FERTILITA’ E TKIs

RIPORTATI50CASIDIGRAVIDANZENONRIPORTATIEVENTIAVVERSI,APARTE1CASODIANORMALITA’FETALECHEHAPORTATOALL’ABORTO

MASCHIO NILOTINIB

DASATINIB

TKIs NELL’UOMO

Figure 1. Pregnancy outcomes in dasatinib-treated women and the female partners of dasatinib-treated men. CNS, central nervous system; IUGR, intrauterine growth restriction. *One woman had both maternal issues during her pregnancy (IUGR 1 premature) and delivered an abnormal infant with hydrops fetalis.

Cortes et al. Page 10

Am J Hematol. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2016 December 01.

Author ManuscriptAuthor Manuscript

Author ManuscriptAuthor Manuscript

“TheimpactofDasa9nibonpregnancyoutcomes”CortesJ.E.etal,AmJHemat2015

Page 35: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold
Page 36: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

FERTILITA’ E TKIs

FEMMINA

Mediterr J Hematol Infect Dis 2014; 6; Open Journal System

MEDITERRANEAN JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES www.mjhid.org ISSN 2035-3006

Review Article Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors and Pregnancy Elisabetta Abruzzese, Malgorzata Monika Trawinska, Alessio Pio Perrotti and Paolo De Fabritiis

Hematology, S. Eugenio Hospital, Tor Vergata University

Correspondence to: Elisabetta Abruzzese, MD, PhD. Hematology, S. Eugenio Hospital, Tor Vergata University. Piazzale dell’Umanesimo 10, 00144 Rome, Italy. Tel +39 06-51008984, Fax +39 0651002390. E-mail: [email protected] Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. Published: April 07, 2014 Received: January 15, 2014 Accepted: March 10, 2014 Citation: Mediterr J Hematol Infect Dis 2014, 6(1): e2014028, DOI: 10.4084/MJHID.2014.028 This article is available from: http://www.mjhid.org/article/view/12737 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Abstract. The management of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) during pregnancy has become recently a matter of continuous debate. The introduction of the Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs) in clinical practice has dramatically changed the prognosis of CML patients; in fact, patients diagnosed in chronic phase can reasonably expect many years of excellent disease control and good quality of life, as well as a normal life expectancy, including the necessity to address issues relating to fertility and pregnancy. Physicians are frequently being asked for advice regarding the need for, and/or the appropriateness of, stopping treatment in order to conceive. In this report, we will review the data published in terms of fertility, conception, pregnancy, pregnancy outcome and illness control for TKI treated CML patients, as well as how to manage a planned and/or unplanned pregnancy.

Introduction. The hybrid BCR-ABL gene and its tyrosine kinase constitutionally active recombinant fusion protein (p210 BCR-ABL) deriving from the reciprocal translocation between chromosomes 9 and 22 is associated with the clinical development of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).1-2 This fusion results in the expression of two forms of protein-tyrosine kinases: p190 (BCR-ABL) and p210 (BCR-ABL) with subsequent dysregulation of intracellular signaling that drive cells to enhanced proliferative capability and resistance to apoptosis.

The presence of this well defined pathogenetic defect at the molecular level led to the development of Imatinib, a tyrosin kinase inhibitor able to block the

BCR-ABL aberrant molecule, thus shutting down the leukemia phenotype.3-4

Imatinib (Glivec, Novartis), is the first of a series of tyrosin kinase inhibitors (TKIs), a group of drugs used to manage patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) through the competitive ATP inhibition at the catalytic binding site of the bcr-abl protein.5 The second and third generation TKIs include Nilotinib (Tasigna, Novartis), Dasatinib (Sprycel, Bristol Myers Squibb), Bosutinib (Bosulif, Pfizer), and the recently approved Ponatinib (Iclusig, Ariad Pharma).

The introduction of TKIs in clinical practice has dramatically changed the prognosis of CML patients. Data derived from first line therapy (IRIS Study) at 7 years follow up, confirmed one year later, reports

Mediterr J Hematol Infect Dis 2014; 6: Open Journal System

Table 1. Outcome in 265 described pregnancies in CML Imatinib-treated patients.

Pregnancy outcome Total number N=265

(%) with known outcome N=210

Real % (excluding elective termination with no known problems)

Normal Live Infant 128 60% (210 pregnancies)

77% (167 pregnancies)

Elective Termination 43 20% excluded

Fetal Abnormality 15 7% 9%

Spontaneous Abortion 24 11% 14%

Unknown 55 0 0

1st trimester (wks 6-12), 12 during 1st and 3rd,14-31 and 9 throughout the pregnancy until delivery. One stillbirth presented with congenital malformations and one baby died without malformations after one week after an apparently uneventful pregnancy. In this series, the authors reported as adverse event 2 babies born prematurely with low birth weight. Finally, three spontaneous abortion and 3 elective abortions were recorded.

Table 1 summarizes 167 of a total 210 Imatinib female pregnancies published and/or observed in our Institution with sufficient data and follow up. Within those 167 pregnancies, 128 were uneventful (77%), while 24 ended in spontaneous abortion (14%), a percentage slightly higher compared to the normal population (10-12%).17 Fifteen/167 (9%) presented with abnormalities, including one referred to a concomitant drug (warfarin syndrome). All patients in this group were exposed to Imatinib during organogenesis (>5wk gestation).

Finally, although most pregnancies exposed to Imatinib may have a successful outcome, a significant proportion of drug-related serious fetal malformations and a slightly higher risk of spontaneous abortion remain at risk. For this reason, pregnancy should not be avoided, but planned.

Nilotinib in men: Little is reported regarding conception during Nilotinib treatment. One case from our Institute (unpublished data) regards a 33 years male patient with CML enrolled in the GIMEMA NILIM trial (alternated Nilotinib/Imatinib), who wanted to conceive his 2nd child. He discussed the opportunity to delay therapy but, taking into consideration the 72 days necessary to complete gonads maturation process in male, we suggested conceiving in the first two months on Nilotinib therapy. He conceived after 40 days and had a healthy boy born at term. He is now 5 years old, regularly growing and healthy.

The investigator brochure, ed.8 (June 2012) refers to a total of 36 cases of drug exposure via the father. One of these cases presented with fetal abnormalities ended in a therapeutic abortion.

Nilotinib in woman: As for men, very little is reported for women getting pregnant while exposed to Nilotinib. Two cases were published and indexed, and one more case was reported by an Italian institution. The firstly published case regards a 30-year-old woman with chronic myeloid leukemia who became pregnant twice successfully. Philadelphia-positive CML in its chronic phase was diagnosed at 16 weeks of her first gestation and received no treatment throughout her pregnancy. At 38 weeks of gestation, a normal infant was delivered by cesarean section. Two years later, while, in major molecular response (MMR) on Nilotinib 200 mg bid, she became pregnant again. The unplanned pregnancy was identified during her first trimester of gestation after the patient had experienced 7.4 weeks of amenorrhea. The patient was informed of the potential fetal toxicities of therapy, but decided to carry on her pregnancy. Nilotinib was stopped, and no further treatment was given until delivery. A follow-up with ultrasound scans during the course of the pregnancy was unremarkable. At gestational week 33, she delivered via cesarean section a healthy male baby weighing 3.2 kg. He was breast-fed for 2 months and at 5 months post-partum, the child was healthy and normally developing..20

The second case was reported by the French intergroup of CML.21 It regarded a 38 years female who got her 5th pregnancy while on Nilotinib. Treatment was stopped when pregnancy was discovered, and replaced by Interpheron-a. Three months ultrasound showed a big omphalocele ending into the pregnancy interruption.

The other case, unpublished, was reported in Italy: a 41 years female resistant to Imatinib, switched to Nilotinib 400 bid, achieving MMR after 3 months, and

AbruzzeseE.etal,MedJHemat2014

IMATINIB

Page 37: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

FERTILITA’ E TKIs TKIs NELL’UOMO

FEMMINA NILOTINIB

•  DATIMOLTOSCARSI•  50 CASI DI GRAVIDANZE (45 DELLE QUALIAPPARTENENTI AL NILOTINIB INVESTIGATOR’SBROCHURE)

•  3 CASI DI MALFORMAZIONI (1 ONFALOCELE, 2TRASPOSIZIONI DI GROSSI VASI IN PARTOGEMELLARE)

Page 38: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

FERTILITA’ E TKIs TKIs NELL’UOMO

FEMMINA DASATINIB

Figure 1. Pregnancy outcomes in dasatinib-treated women and the female partners of dasatinib-treated men. CNS, central nervous system; IUGR, intrauterine growth restriction. *One woman had both maternal issues during her pregnancy (IUGR 1 premature) and delivered an abnormal infant with hydrops fetalis.

Cortes et al. Page 10

Am J Hematol. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2016 December 01.

Author Manuscript

Author Manuscript

Author Manuscript

Author Manuscript

“TheimpactofDasa9nibonpregnancyoutcomes”CortesJ.E.etal,AmJHemat2015

Page 39: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

FERTILITA’ E TKIs

STUDI PRECLINICI NELL’ANIMALE E LE ESPERIENZENELL’UOMOSUGGERISCONOCHE:1)  LA TERAPIA CON TKIs NON SEMBRA MENOMARE LACAPACITA’ RIPRODUTTIVA DELL’INDIVIDUO SIA MASCHIOSIAFEMMINA.2) NEL MASCHIO NON VI E’ AUMENTATO RISCHIO DIEMBRIOO FETO-TOSSICITA’DA TKIs. (MA INUMERI SONOA N C O R A R E L A T I V A M E N T E P I C C O L I ! ) L ACRIOPRESERVAZIONE DELLO SPERMA PRE-INIZIO DELTRATTAMENTOPUO’ESSEREVALUTATA.

Page 40: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

3) NELLA FEMMINA L’ESPOSIZIONE AI TKIs DOPO ILCONCEPIMENTO PUO’ RISULTARE IN GRAVI MALFORMAZIONIDEL FETO E IN ABORTO SPONTANEO, LA CUI INCIDENZADIPENDE DALLA DOSE DEL FARMACO E DAL PERIODO DELLAGESTAZIONE.NECESSITA’DICHIARAINFORMAZIONEALLADIAGNOSICIRCAILRISCHIO PER IL FETO IN CASO DI GRAVIDANZE NONP ROGRAMMAT E E P E R L A MADR E I N C A S I D IDISCONTINUAZIONEDELTRATTAMENTO.VA INCORAGGIATA L’ADOZIONE DI EFFICACI METODICONTRACCETTIVI, SOPRATTUTTO PER I PRIMI 2 ANNI DITERAPIACONTKIs,PERPERMETTEREILRAGGIUNGIMENTOEILCONSOLIDAMENTODELLAMIGLIORERISPOSTADELLALMC.

Page 41: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

FERTILITA’ E TKIs

GRAVIDANZA

3DIVERSESITUAZIONI:•  PAZIENTEINGRAVIDANZASCOPREDIAVERELALMC

•  PAZIENTE CON LMC PROGRAMMA UNAGRAVIDANZA

•  PAZIENTECONLMCHAUNAGRAVIDANZANONPROGRAMMATA

Page 42: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

FERTILITA’ E TKIs

TKIs E GRAVIDANZA

•  LALMCNONMODIFICAILDECORSODELLAGRAVIDANZA,NE’LAGRAVIDANZAMODIFICAILDECORSODELLALMC.

•  TKIsNONDEVONOESSEREUTILIZZATIDURANTELAGRAVIDANZA

SPECIALMENTEDURANTEILPRIMOTRIMESTRE.•  NILOTINIB E’ FRA I DIVERSI TKIs QUELLO “MENO TOSSICO”,

POICHE’ NON ATTRAVERSA LA PLACENTA A SIGNIFICATIVECONCENTRAZIONIESEMBRAESSEREMENOTERATOGENO.

•  IMATINIBE’UNAMOLECOLAALTAMENTELEGATAALLEPROTEINE

PLASMATICHE E HA UN PESO MOLECOLARE MOLTO ELEVATO,CHEDOVREBBELIMITAREILPASSAGGIOPLACENTARE.

Page 43: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

AliR.etalArchGynecolObstet2009

Page 44: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

FERTILITA’ E TKIs

TKIs E GRAVIDANZA •  DASATINIB ATTRAVERSA LA PLACENTA IN QUALSIASI PERIODO

DELLAGESTAZIONEESIASSOCIAADUNIMPATTOSFAVOREVOLESULNASCITURO.

Figure 1. Pregnancy outcomes in dasatinib-treated women and the female partners of dasatinib-treated men. CNS, central nervous system; IUGR, intrauterine growth restriction. *One woman had both maternal issues during her pregnancy (IUGR 1 premature) and delivered an abnormal infant with hydrops fetalis.

Cortes et al. Page 10

Am J Hematol. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2016 December 01.

Author Manuscript

Author Manuscript

Author Manuscript

Author Manuscript

“TheimpactofDasa9nibonpregnancyoutcomes”

CortesJ.E.etal,AmJHemat2015

Page 45: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

FERTILITA’ E TKIs

TKIs E GRAVIDANZA

•  NESSUN TIPO DI TKI DOVREBBE ESSERE USATO INGRAVIDANZA

•  INCASODIASSOLUTANECESSITA’:Ø MAIDASATINIBØ IMATINIBSOLOAPARTIREDALLA14aSETTIMANAØ NILOTINIB EVENTUALMENTE ANCHE NEL PRIMOTRIMESTRE

Page 46: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

FERTILITA’ E TKIs

ALTRI FARMACI PER LMC IN GRAVIDANZA

IFN

ONCOCARBIDE

LEUCOAFERESI

•  NON ATTRAVERSA LA PLACENTA A CAUSA DEL SUOELEVATOPESOMOLECOLARE

•  NONE’ TERATOGENONE’ INVITRONE’ INVIVOSULTOPOESULCONIGLIO

•  LA FORMA PEGILATA E’ CONTROINDICATA A CAUSADEL POSSIBILE DANNO DA ACCUMULO DIPOLIETILENGLICOLO

•  EMBRIOTOSSICA E TERATOGENA IN VARIESPECIEANIMALI

•  DA UTILIZZARE IN GRAVIDANZA CONGRANDE CAUTELA, MEGLIO SOLO NEL 3°TRIMESTRE

•  SE GLOBUL I B IANCHI > 200 .000 ,ASSOCIATAADIFN

Page 47: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

FERTILITA’ E TKIs

•  PIANIFICAZIONEDELLAGRAVIDANZA•  INCASODIRAGGIUNGIMENTODIUNAMMRSTABILE,DIDURATAALMENOPARIA 24MESI, LA TERAPIA CON TKIPUO’ ESSERE DISCONTINUATA IN FUNZIONE DELLAGRAVIDANZA

•  IL TKI DOVREBBE ESSERE STOPPATO IMMEDIATAMENTEPRIMA O DOPO IL CONCEPIMENTO, MEGLIOALL’OVULAZIONE.DARI-ASSUMERE IN CASODI RIPRESADELLEMESTRUAZIONI

•  MONITORAGGIO DELLA RT-PCR QUANTITATIVA ACADENZAMENSILE

•  INCASODI PERDITADELLARISPOSTA,DACONSIDERAREIFN

Page 48: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

FERTILITA’ E TKIs

•  GRAVIDANZANONPROGRAMMATA•  IMMEDIATAINTERRUZIONEDELTKI•  VALUTAZIONE DELLA SETTIMANA DELLAGESTAZIONEEDELTIPODITKIUTILIZZATO

•  M O N I T O R A G G I O A C C U R A T ODELL’ANDAMENTODELLAGRAVIDANZA

•  IFNPUO’ESSERECONSIDERATOLUNGOTUTTOILPERIODODIGESTAZIONE

Page 49: FERTILITA E NUOVI FARMACI IN EMATOLOGIA · ear, and ocular abnormalities (Miller and Stro¨mland, 1999). The thalidomide tragedy was averted in the United States because of the hold

“Managementofpregnantchronicmyeloidleukemiapa9ents”AbruzzeseE.etal,ExpertReviewofHematology2016