JERSEY CITY, N.J. June 6, 2023 – Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America, Inc. (MTPA) today announced they are partnering with the ALS/MND Natural History Study Consortium (Consortium) to collect real-world data in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in an effort to develop a better understanding of the disease and current care practices.
As part of the collaboration, MTPA will have access to the Consortium’s clinic-based data repository that will serve as a framework for obtaining basic demographic, baseline and longitudinal clinical and research data in a cohort of people with ALS and other motor neuron disorders (MND). In addition, MTPA will gain access to retrospective clinical data of its approved therapies for ALS, including RADICAVA ORS® (edaravone) and RADICAVA® (edaravone), dating back to when the Consortium was founded in 2015.
“Access to real-world data is critical with complex and difficult-to-treat diseases like ALS,” said Gustavo A. Suarez Zambrano, M.D., Vice President of Medical Affairs at MTPA. “This collaboration will enable us to leverage a comprehensive database of real-world and retrospective clinical trial findings, continuously advancing our scientific understanding of ALS and how to improve care for people living with this disease.”
To date, over 2,100 people living with ALS from across 10 multidisciplinary clinics across the U.S. and Italy have enrolled in the database, which utilizes NeuroBANK™, a patient-centric clinical research platform run by the Neurological Clinical Research Institute (NCRI) at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).
“Through this collaboration, MTPA joins the ranks of visionary companies that understand the importance of capturing high-quality real-world data that help us to better understand, better diagnose and ultimately find new treatment options for ALS,” said Alex Sherman, Director of the Center for Innovation and Biomedical Informatics (CIB) at the NCRI at MGH and Principal Investigator for the study. “We hope to see this momentum continue and are confident our collaboration with MTPA will have a meaningful impact on the ALS community.”
About RADICAVA® (edaravone) and RADICAVA ORS® (edaravone)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved RADICAVA® (edaravone) on May 5, 2017, and the oral formulation RADICAVA ORS® (edaravone) on May 12, 2022, for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). RADICAVA is administered in 28-day cycles by IV infusion. It takes 60 minutes to receive each 60 mg dose. For the initial cycle, the treatment is infused daily for 14 consecutive days, followed by a two-week drug-free period. All cycles thereafter are infused daily for 10 days within a 14-day period, followed by a two-week drug-free period. RADICAVA ORS is taken daily for 14 consecutive days followed by a 14-day drug-free period for the initial treatment cycle. For subsequent treatment cycles, RADICAVA ORS is taken for 10 days within a 14-day period followed by a 14-day drug-free period. RADICAVA ORS should be taken in the morning after overnight fasting. Patients should not eat or drink (except water) within one hour after taking RADICAVA ORS.1
Edaravone was discovered and developed for ALS by Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation (MTPC) and commercialized in the U.S. by Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America, Inc. (MTPA). The MTPC group companies began researching ALS in 2001 through an iterative clinical platform over a 13-year period. In 2015, edaravone was approved as RADICUT® for the treatment of ALS in Japan and South Korea. Marketing authorizations were subsequently granted in Canada (October 2018), Switzerland (January 2019), Indonesia (July 2020), Thailand (April 2021) and Malaysia (December 2021). Marketing authorization for RADICAVA® Oral Suspension was granted in Canada (November 2022) and Switzerland (May 2023), and RADICUT® Oral Suspension 2.1% was granted regulatory approval in Japan in December 2022. To date, in the U.S., RADICAVA and RADICAVA ORS have been used to treat over 10,000 people with ALS, with over 1.2-million days of therapy, and have been prescribed by nearly 2,000 HCPs.2-4
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
Hypersensitivity Reactions
RADICAVA (edaravone) and RADICAVA ORS (edaravone) are contraindicated in patients with a history of hypersensitivity to edaravone or any of the inactive ingredients of this product. Hypersensitivity reactions (redness, wheals, and erythema multiforme) and cases of anaphylaxis (urticaria, decreased blood pressure, and dyspnea) have occurred with RADICAVA.
Patients should be monitored carefully for hypersensitivity reactions. If hypersensitivity reactions occur, discontinue RADICAVA or RADICAVA ORS, treat per standard of care, and monitor until the condition resolves.
Sulfite Allergic Reactions
RADICAVA and RADICAVA ORS contain sodium bisulfite, a sulfite that may cause allergic-type reactions, including anaphylactic symptoms and life-threatening or less severe asthmatic episodes in susceptible people. The overall prevalence of sulfite sensitivity in the general population is unknown but occurs more frequently in asthmatic people.
Adverse Reactions
The most common adverse reactions (≥10%) reported in RADICAVA-treated patients were contusion (15%), gait disturbance (13%), and headache (10%). In an open label study, fatigue was also observed in 7.6% of patients receiving RADICAVA ORS.
Pregnancy
Based on animal data, RADICAVA and RADICAVA ORS may cause fetal harm.
To report suspected adverse reactions or product complaints, contact Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America, Inc., at 1-888-292-0058. You may also report suspected adverse reactions to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.
INDICATION
RADICAVA and RADICAVA ORS are indicated for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
For more information, including full Prescribing Information, please visit www.RADICAVA.com.
About Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America, Inc.
Based in Jersey City, N.J., Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America, Inc. (MTPA) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation (MTPC). It was established by MTPC to commercialize approved pharmaceutical products in North America. For more information, please visit www.mt-pharma-america.com or follow us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
About Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation
Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation (MTPC), the pharma arm of Mitsubishi Chemical Group (MCG), is one of the oldest pharmaceutical companies in the world, founded in 1678. MTPC is headquartered in Doshomachi, Osaka, the birthplace of Japan’s pharmaceutical industry. MCG has positioned health care as its strategic focus in its management policy, “Forging the future”. MTPC sets the MISSION of “Creating hope for all facing illness”. To that end, MTPC is working on the disease areas of central nervous system, immuno-inflammation, diabetes and kidney, and cancer. MTPC is focusing on “precision medicine” to provide drugs with high treatment satisfaction and additionally working to develop “around the pill solutions” to address specific patient concerns based on therapeutic medicine, including prevention of diseases, pre-symptomatic disease care, prevention of aggravation and prognosis. For more information, go to https://www.mt-pharma.co.jp/e/.
Media inquiries:
Media_MTPA@mt-pharma-us.com
1 RADICAVA and RADICAVA ORS Prescribing Information. Jersey City, NJ: Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America, Inc.; 2022.
2 Data on file. Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America, Inc.
3 Data on file. Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America, Inc.
4 Data on file. Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America, Inc.