Sprifermin
Sprifermin (INN) (developmental code name AS-902330),[1] is a recombinant human fibroblast growth factor 18 (rhFGF18) analog,[2] which is under development by Merck and Nordic Bioscience for the treatment of osteoarthritis.[3] FGF18 and sprifermin are potent agonists of the FGFR2, FGFR3 and FGFR4.[4]
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Other names | AS-902330; rhFGF18; L-Methionyl(human fibroblast growth factor 18 (FGF-18, zFGF5)-(1-169)-peptide) |
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Formula | C876H1396N258O256S6 |
Molar mass | 19830.71 g·mol−1 |
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In 2020, Merck reported 5-year follow-up data from the Phase 2 clinical trial for knee osteoarthritis, which demonstrated that sprifermin was able to promote statistically significant improvement in cartilage thickness relative to control in a dose-dependent manner, meeting the primary endpoint of the study.[5] Sprifermin was well tolerated with no severe adverse events associated with the treatment.[5] Long-term follow up showed that continual injections, up to 12 per year of bilateral treatment, may need to be sustained over a period of multiple years to prevent recurrence of cartilage loss.[5] Improvement in WOMAC, a secondary endpoint, was met for the Subgroup at Risk.[5]
References
- "Inxight Drugs: Sprifermin". National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences.
- Gigout A, Guehring H, Froemel D, Meurer A, Ladel C, Reker D, et al. (November 2017). "Sprifermin (rhFGF18) enables proliferation of chondrocytes producing a hyaline cartilage matrix". Osteoarthritis and Cartilage. 25 (11): 1858–1867. doi:10.1016/j.joca.2017.08.004. PMID 28823647.
- "Sprifermin - Merck". Adis Insight. Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
- Iwata T, Hevner RF (April 2009). "Fibroblast growth factor signaling in development of the cerebral cortex". Development, Growth & Differentiation. 51 (3): 299–323. doi:10.1111/j.1440-169X.2009.01104.x. PMID 19379279. S2CID 24934958.
- Eckstein F, Hochberg MC, Guehring H, Moreau F, Ona V, Bihlet AR, et al. (August 2021). "Long-term structural and symptomatic effects of intra-articular sprifermin in patients with knee osteoarthritis: 5-year results from the FORWARD study". Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. 80 (8): 1062–1069. doi:10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-219181. PMC 8292562. PMID 33962962.