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Safety and Efficacy of Emixustat in Stargardt Disease

Phase 3
Completed
Conditions
Stargardt Disease
Interventions
Drug: Placebo
Registration Number
NCT03772665
Lead Sponsor
Kubota Vision Inc.
Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine if emixustat hydrochloride reduces the rate of progression of macular atrophy compared to placebo in subjects with Stargardt disease.

Funding Source -- FDA OOPD

Detailed Description

Stargardt disease is a rare, inherited degenerative disease of the retina affecting approximately 1 in 8000 to 10 000 people and is the most common type of hereditary macular dystrophy. There are no approved treatments for STGD. This disease is characterized by an excessive accumulation of lipofuscin at the level of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Lipofuscin is made of lipids, proteins, and toxic bis retinoids (such as N retinylidene N retinylethanolamine \[A2E\]). Accumulation of the toxic bis retinoids found in lipofuscin is thought to cause RPE cell dysfunction and eventual apoptosis, resulting in photoreceptor death and loss of vision.

Stargardt disease has several sub types, where autosomal recessive STGD (STGD1) accounts for the majority (\>95%) of all cases. STGD1 is typically diagnosed in the first 3 decades of life and is caused by mutations of the adenosine triphosphate binding cassette subfamily A member 4 (ABCA4) gene. The ABCA4 gene product transports N retinylidene phosphatidylethanolamine (a precursor of toxic bis retinoids) from the lumen side of photoreceptor disc membranes to the cytoplasmic side where the retinal is hydrolyzed from phosphatidylethanolamine. Mutations of the ABCA4 gene result in accumulation of this precursor in disc membranes that are eventually phagocytized by RPE cells, where the precursors are converted into toxic bis retinoids such as A2E. In addition to being a precursor to A2E, all trans retinal has also been implicated in the pathogenesis of STGD through its role in light-mediated toxicity.

Emixustat hydrochloride (emixustat) has been developed by Acucela Inc. for retinal diseases including Stargardt disease (STGD). Emixustat is a potent inhibitor of RPE65 isomerization activity and reduces visual chromophore (11 cis retinal) production in a dose-dependent and reversible manner. Because 11 cis-retinal and its photoproduct (all trans retinal) are substrates for biosynthesis of retinoid toxins (eg, A2E), chronic treatment with emixustat retards the rate at which these toxins accumulate.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
194
Inclusion Criteria
  • A clinical diagnosis of macular atrophy secondary to Stargardt disease (STGD)
  • Macular atrophy measured to fall within a defined size range
  • Two mutations of the ABCA4 gene. If only one mutation, a typical STGD appearance of the retina.
  • Visual acuity in the study eye of at least 20/320
Exclusion Criteria
  • Macular atrophy secondary to a disease other than STGD
  • Mutations of genes, other than ABCA4, that are associated with retinal degeneration
  • Surgery in the study eye in the past 3 months
  • Prior participation in a gene therapy or stem cell clinical trial for STGD
  • Recent participation in a clinical trial for STGD evaluating a complement inhibitor or vitamin A derivative
  • Use of certain medications in the past 4 weeks that might interfere with emixustat
  • An abnormal electrocardiogram (ECG)
  • Certain abnormalities on laboratory blood testing
  • Female subjects who are pregnant or nursing

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
PlaceboPlaceboIncludes identical tablets with only inactive ingredients (0 mg).
EmixustatEmixustat10 mg
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Mean Rate of Change in Total Area of Macular Atrophy, as Measured by Fundus Autofluorescence (FAF)24 months

Mean rate of change in total area of macular atrophy, as measured by fundus autofluorescence (FAF)

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod

Trial Locations

Locations (29)

The Wilmer Eye Institute Johns Hopkins University

🇺🇸

Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Emory University

🇺🇸

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Retina-Vitreous Associates Medical Group

🇺🇸

Beverly Hills, California, United States

Mayo Clinic Rochester

🇺🇸

Rochester, Minnesota, United States

University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center

🇺🇸

Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States

Casey Eye Institute - OHSU

🇺🇸

Portland, Oregon, United States

Retina Foundation of the Southwest

🇺🇸

Dallas, Texas, United States

Medical College of Wisconsin-Eye Institute

🇺🇸

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States

Hospital Sao Paulo

🇧🇷

São Paulo, Brazil

Service D'Ophtalmologie Chi Creteil

🇫🇷

Créteil, Île-de-France, France

CHNO Quinze-Vingts - CIC

🇫🇷

Paris, ÃŽle-de-France, France

Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore - Fondazione Policlinico Gemelli

🇮🇹

Rome, Lazio, Italy

UOC Oculistica Asst Fatebene Pratelli Sacco Universita delgi Studi di Milano

🇮🇹

Milan, Lombardy, Italy

Fundacion Jimenez Diaz University Hospital

🇪🇸

Madrid, Spain

Radboud University Medical Center

🇳🇱

Nijmegen, Gelderland, Netherlands

Pretoria Eye Institute

🇿🇦

Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa

Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

🇬🇧

London, United Kingdom

Oxford Eye Hospital,Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

🇬🇧

Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom

IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele

🇮🇹

Milan, Lombardy, Italy

SODC di Oculistica AOU Careggi

🇮🇹

Florence, Tuscany, Italy

UCSF Dept. of Ophthalmology

🇺🇸

San Francisco, California, United States

Duke Eye Center

🇺🇸

Durham, North Carolina, United States

University of Utah John Moran Eye Center

🇺🇸

Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Belo Horizonte

🇧🇷

Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Department für Augenheilkunde

🇩🇪

Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

The Hospital for Sick Children

🇨🇦

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Rigshospitalet-Glostrup

🇩🇰

Glostrup, Hovedstaden, Denmark

Universitäts-Augenklinik Bonn

🇩🇪

Bonn, Germany

AOU Università della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli

🇮🇹

Naples, Campania, Italy

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