Lipegfilgrastim

Lipegfilgrastim, previously known as XM22, is a pegylated, recombinant granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) that was synthetized using a highly site-specific glycoPEGylation technology . It is used as an alternate to Pegfilgrastim for prophylactic use in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy and at risk for developing chemotherapy-induced neutropenia. Since July 2013, lipegfilgrastim is marketed by the EMA as Lonquex for subcutaneously injection, where it is administered once following cytotoxic chemotherapy for each chemotherapy cycle in adult patients being treated with cytotoxic chemotherapy for malignancy. It aims to reduce the duration of neutropenia and the incidence of febrile neutropenia.

Neutropenia and febrile neutropenia (FN) are frequent and potentially fatal complications that occur from myelosuppressive anticancer treatments . Severe chemotherapy-induced neutropenia and febrile neutropenia significantly increases the risk for life-threatening infection and sepsis. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factors (G-CSFs) were introduced in the 1980's to the clinical setting to stimulate neutrophil proliferation and differentiation, thereby reducing the duration and severity of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia . Lipegfilgrastim is a covalent conjugate of Filgrastim with a single methoxy polyethylene glycol (PEG) molecule via a carbohydrate linker consisting of glycine, N-acetylneuraminic acid and N-acetylgalactosamine . The average molecular mass of lipegfilgrastim comprises 18,798 Da for Filgrastim, 203 Da for GalNAc, 338 Da for glycylsialic acid and approximately 20,000 Da for PEG . PEG moiety protects the active molecule from enzyme degradation, which allows longer half-life of drug and less frequent dosing-schedule in addition to acceptable safety and efficacy profile .