Clinical therapeutics
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Clinical therapeutics · Oct 2012
Clinical TrialLong-term efficacy and safety profile of rilonacept in the treatment of cryopryin-associated periodic syndromes: results of a 72-week open-label extension study.
Cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes (CAPS) are rare, inherited autoinflammatory disorders associated with considerable hardship to patients. The interleukin-1 inhibitor rilonacept has been shown to be well-tolerated and effective in preventing CAPS symptoms in 2 pivotal studies. ⋯ Long-term treatment with rilonacept of up to 96 weeks resulted in improvements in clinical signs and symptoms of CAPS and normalized biomarkers of inflammation. Rilonacept exhibited a generally favorable safety and tolerability profile in adult and pediatric patients with CAPS throughout the extended treatment period. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT 00288704.
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Clinical therapeutics · Oct 2012
Japanese regulatory system for approval of off-label drug use: evaluation of safety and effectiveness in literature-based applications.
Although approved elsewhere, many drug indications remain unapproved in Japan. Many of these unapproved indications are off-label, which, despite strong supporting evidence, are not covered by the Japanese health insurance system. To address this situation, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan announced in 1999 that, under certain conditions, it would approve a new supplement for a drug indication without clinical trials. This approval scheme involved application evaluation using literature-based evidence; however, the type of indications and the kind of evidence used in practical applications remain to be clarified. ⋯ Prior approval by foreign authorities, although important, did not appear to be essential for approval in Japan. However, substantiating safety and effectiveness of agents by means of standard textbooks or guidelines was used consistently to obtain approval for off-label use.