On 13 December 2021 a new drug for the treatment of adult patients with PNH was approved in the EU: The substance pegcetacoplan which inhibits specific processes in the immune system will probably be available in Germany in the beginning of 2022. Its trade name is Aspaveli®.
The drug is a so-called C3 complement inhibitor: The complement system is part of the body's own immune system which in PNH attacks the red blood cells (erythrocytes) and destroys them. Pegcetacoplan inhibits a certain part of the complement system and thereby the destruction of red blood cells outside the blood vessels (extravascular), leading to an improved life cycle of the erythrocytes and improved haemoglobin levels.
Pegecetacoplan is approved for patients who remain anaemic despite treatment with a C5 inhibitor (eculizumab or ravulizumab) for at least 3 months. C5 is also part of the complement system. The drug is administered twice a week as a subcutaneous infusion. Among the most common side effects are reactions at the injection site, infections of the upper respiratory tract, headache, abdominal pain, and diarrhoea.
"Summary of product characteristics" by the European Medicines Agency EMA.
The drug is not entirely new: On 5 April of this year, we already reported in detail on the mechanism of action and the current studies on it in a blog post on our website.
A recently published study from Leeds, England examines the effectiveness of the new drug pegcetacoplan on paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH). Pegcetacoplan has not yet been approved for PNH therapy in Europe, but approval is currently being examined by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). For this reason, we would like to briefly introduce the drug and the study to you and first take a brief look at the blood formation disorder underlying PNH in order to understand how Pegcetacoplan works:
Normally there are certain proteins on the surface of the red blood cells (erythrocytes), which transport oxygen through our body. Among other things, these regulate the immune system and prevent the erythrocytes from being broken down prematurely as they circulate through the body. At the PNHWEITER