Long-term efficacy and safety of sapropterin in patients who initiated sapropterin at < 4 years of age with phenylketonuria: results of the 3-year extension of the SPARK open-label, multicentre, randomised phase IIIb trial.

BACKGROUND: During the initial 26-week SPARK (Safety Paediatric efficAcy phaRmacokinetic with Kuvan®) study, addition of sapropterin dihydrochloride (Kuvan®; a synthetic formulation of the natural cofactor for phenylalanine hydroxylase, tetrahydrobiopterin; BH4), to a phenylalanine (Phe)-restricted diet, led to a significant improvement in Phe tolerance versus a Phe-restricted diet alone in patients aged 0-4 years with BH4-responsive phenylketonuria (PKU) or mild hyperphenylalaninaemia (HPA). Based on these results, the approved indication for sapropterin in Europe was expanded to include patients < 4 years of age. Herein, we present results of the SPARK extension study (NCT01376908), evaluating the long-term safety, dietary Phe tolerance, blood Phe concentrations and neurodevelopmental outcomes in patients < 4 years of age at randomisation, over an additional 36 months of treatment with sapropterin. RESULTS: All 51 patients who completed the 26-week SPARK study period entered the extension period. Patients who were previously treated with a Phe-restricted diet only ('sapropterin extension' group; n = 26), were initiated on sapropterin at 10 mg/kg/day, which could be increased up to 20 mg/kg/day. Patients previously treated with sapropterin plus Phe-restricted diet, remained on this regimen in the extension period ('sapropterin continuous' group; n = 25). Dietary Phe tolerance increased significantly at the end of the study versus baseline (week 0), by 38.7 mg/kg/day in the 'sapropterin continuous' group (95% CI 28.9, 48.6; p < 0.0001). In the 'sapropterin extension' group, a less pronounced effect was observed, with significant differences versus baseline (week 27) only observed between months 9 and 21; dietary Phe tolerance at the end of study increased by 5.5 mg/kg/day versus baseline (95% CI - 2.8, 13.8; p = 0.1929). Patients in both groups had normal neuromotor development and growth parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term treatment with sapropterin plus a Phe-restricted diet in patients who initiated sapropterin at < 4 years of age with BH4-responsive PKU or mild HPA maintained improvements in dietary Phe tolerance over 3.5 years. These results continue to support the favourable risk/benefit profile for sapropterin in paediatric patients (< 4 years of age) with BH4-responsive PKU. Frequent monitoring of blood Phe levels and careful titration of dietary Phe intake to ensure adequate levels of protein intake is necessary to optimise the benefits of sapropterin treatment. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01376908. Registered 17 June 2011, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01376908 .

Efficacy, safety and population pharmacokinetics of sapropterin in PKU patients <4 years: results from the SPARK open-label, multicentre, randomized phase IIIb trial.

BACKGROUND: Sapropterin dihydrochloride, a synthetic formulation of BH4, the cofactor for phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH, EC 1.14.16.1), was initially approved in Europe only for patients ≥4 years with BH4-responsive phenylketonuria. The aim of the SPARK (Safety Paediatric efficAcy phaRmacokinetic with Kuvan®) trial was to assess the efficacy (improvement in daily phenylalanine tolerance, neuromotor development and growth parameters), safety and pharmacokinetics of sapropterin dihydrochloride in children <4 years. RESULTS: In total, 109 male or female children <4 years with confirmed BH4-responsive phenylketonuria or mild hyperphenylalaninemia and good adherence to dietary treatment were screened. 56 patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to 10 mg/kg/day oral sapropterin plus a phenylalanine-restricted diet or to only a phenylalanine-restricted diet for 26 weeks (27 to the sapropterin and diet group and 29 to the diet-only group; intention-to-treat population). Of these, 52 patients with ≥1 pharmacokinetic sample were included in the pharmacokinetic analysis, and 54 patients were included in the safety analysis. At week 26 in the sapropterin plus diet group, mean phenylalanine tolerance was 30.5 (95% confidence interval 18.7-42.3) mg/kg/day higher than in the diet-only group (p < 0.001). The safety profile of sapropterin, measured monthly, was acceptable and consistent with that seen in studies of older children. Using non-linear mixed effect modelling, a one-compartment model with flip-flop pharmacokinetic behaviour, in which the effect of weight was substantial, best described the pharmacokinetic profile. Patients in both groups had normal neuromotor development and stable growth parameters. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of sapropterin to a phenylalanine-restricted diet was well tolerated and led to a significant improvement in phenylalanine tolerance in children <4 years with BH4-responsive phenylketonuria or mild hyperphenylalaninemia. The pharmacokinetic model favours once per day dosing with adjustment for weight. Based on the SPARK trial results, sapropterin has received EU approval to treat patients <4 years with BH4-responsive phenylketonuria. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01376908 . Registered June 17, 2011.

Hyperphenylalaninemia in the Czech Republic: genotype-phenotype correlations and in silico analysis of novel missense mutations.

BACKGROUND: Hyperphenylalaninemia (HPA) is one of the most common inherited metabolic disorders caused by deficiency of the enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH). HPA is associated with mutations in the PAH gene, which leads to reduced protein stability and/or impaired catalytic function. Currently, almost 700 different disease-causing mutations have been described. The impact of mutations on enzyme activity varies ranging from classical PKU, mild PKU, to non-PKU HPA phenotype. METHODS: We provide results of molecular genetic diagnostics of 665 Czech unrelated HPA patients, structural analysis of missense mutations associated with classical PKU and non-PKU HPA phenotype, and prediction of effects of 6 newly discovered HPA missense mutations using bioinformatic approaches and Molecular Dynamics simulations. RESULTS: Ninety-eight different types of mutations were indentified. Thirteen of these were novel (6 missense, 2 nonsense, 1 splicing, and 4 small gene rearrangements). Structural analysis revealed that classical PKU mutations are more non-conservative compared to non-PKU HPA mutations and that specific sequence and structural characteristics of a mutation might be critical when distinguishing between non-PKU HPA and classical PKU mutations. The greatest impact was predicted for the p.(Phe263Ser) mutation while other novel mutations p.(Asn167Tyr), p.(Thr200Asn), p.(Asp229Gly), p.(Leu358Phe), and p.(Ile406Met) were found to be less deleterious.