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BACKGROUND: Ublituximab is a novel anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody glycoengineered for enhanced antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. The phase 3 ULTIMATE I and II studies showed significant improvements in annualized relapse rate, total number of gadolinium-enhancing (Gd+) T1 lesions, and total number of new or enlarging T2 at Week 96, as well as improvement in the proportion of participants with no evidence of disease activity (NEDA) from Weeks 24-96 with ublituximab vs. teriflunomide. METHODS: In ULTIMATE I (NCT03277261; www.clinicaltrials.gov) (N = 549) and II (NCT03277248; www.clinicaltrials.gov) (N = 545), participants with relapsing multiple sclerosis received ublituximab 450 mg intravenous infusion every 24 weeks (following Day 1 infusion of 150 mg and Day 15 infusion of 450 mg) or teriflunomide 14 mg oral once daily for 96 weeks. Pooled post hoc analyses evaluated NEDA by treatment epoch and participant subtype: age ( ≤ 38 or >38 years), early or later disease (3.5 at baseline. NEDA was defined as no confirmed relapses, no Gd+ T1 lesions, no new or enlarging T2 lesions, and no disability progression confirmed for ≥12 weeks. RESULTS: NEDA rates in the ublituximab vs. teriflunomide cohorts by treatment epoch were: Weeks 0-96, 44.6% vs. 12.4% (3.6 × improvement); Weeks 24-96 (re-baselined), 82.1% vs. 22.5% (3.6 × improvement); and Weeks 48-96 (re-baselined), 88.2% vs. 30.4% (2.9 × improvement) (all p < 0.0001). The primary driver of disease activity in ublituximab-treated participants was new or enlarging T2 lesions during Weeks 0-24. 41.8% of ublituximab-treated participants who had evidence of disease activity in the first year (Weeks 0-48) experienced NEDA in the second year of treatment (Weeks 48-96) compared with 17.3% of teriflunomide-treated participants. At Weeks 24-96 (re-baselined), rates of NEDA were significantly higher with ublituximab than teriflunomide in all participant subtypes (all p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: ULTIMATE I and II pooled post hoc analyses demonstrated a consistent NEDA benefit among ublituximab-treated participants across treatment epochs and key participant subpopulations. more...

Background: Ublituximab, a novel monoclonal antibody (mAb) targeting a unique epitope on the CD20 antigen, is glycoengineered for enhanced B-cell targeting through antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). Greater ADCC may allow lower doses and shorter infusion times versus other anti-CD20 mAbs. Objective: The objective was to determine optimal dose, infusion time, and activity of ublituximab in relapsing multiple sclerosis. Methods: This is a phase 2, placebo-controlled study. Patients received three ublituximab infusions (150 mg over 1–4 hours on day 1 and 450–600 mg over 1–3 hours on day 15 and week 24) in six dosing cohorts. The primary endpoint was B-cell depletion. Results: In all cohorts (N = 48), median B-cell depletion was >99% by week 4, maintained at weeks 24 and 48. Most common adverse events (AEs) were infusion-related reactions (all grade 1–2), with no apparent increased incidence at shorter infusion times. There were no AE-related discontinuations. At weeks 24 and 48, no T1 gadolinium-enhancing lesions (p = 0.003) and a 10.6% decrease in T2 lesion volume (p = 0.002) were detected. The annualized relapse rate was 0.07; 93% remained relapse free on study. Overall, 74% of patients had no evidence of disease activity (NEDA). Conclusion: Ublituximab was safely infused as rapid as 1 hour, producing robust B-cell depletion and profound reductions in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) activity and relapses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Background: Ublituximab (UTX) is a novel monoclonal antibody targeting a unique epitope on the CD20 antigen and glyco-engineered for enhanced B-cell targeting through antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. Two phase 3 trials, ULTIMATE I and II, are fully enrolled and are investigating the efficacy and safety of UTX in relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (RMS). Objectives: To evaluate the long-term safety and tolerability of UTX treatment in patients with RMS enrolled in the open-label extension (OLE) of a phase 2 trial. Methods: TG1101-RMS201 was a 52-week, phase 2, placebo-controlled, multicenter study of UTX in RMS. Subjects who completed RMS201 were eligible to continue treatment in the OLE, receiving 1-hour 450-mg UTX infusions every 24 weeks. Results: RMS201 enrolled 48 subjects and the primary end point was to evaluate B-cell depletion. Median B-cell depletion of >99% was observed at week 4 and maintained at week 48. At week 48, key observations included: 100% reduction in T1-Gd-enhancing lesions; 10.6% mean decrease in T2 lesion volume; 93% of subjects relapse free, and an annualized relapse rate (ARR) of 0.07. UTX was well tolerated; the most common adverse event (AE) was infusion-related reactions (all grade 1-2). No discontinuations due to AEs were reported. UTX continues to be well tolerated, with a median duration of follow-up of 124.7 weeks, no drugrelated discontinuations, and only 1 AE deemed at least possibly related to UTX that occurred in more than 1 patient, which was infusion-related reactions (IRR) all grade 1 or 2 in severity. At the time of presentation, long-term safety information will be presented for all patients on the OLE. Conclusions: The phase 2 OLE data support that UTX continues to be safe, well tolerated, and effective with 1-hour infusions. These results support the ongoing phase 3 ULTIMATE program in RMS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Renal injury is greater in male compared with female rats after renal wrap (RW) hypertension. We investigated the role of gonadal steroids in the sex differences in RW disease severity in male (M) and female (F), castrated (Cast), and ovariectomized (OVX) rats and after dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and 17β-estradiol (E2) treatment. Male castration attenuated the severity of RW-induced glomerulosclerosis (GS) [GS index (GSI): RW-M, 2.1 ± 0.2; RW-Cast, 1.3 ± 0.2; RW-Cast+DHT, 2.4 ± 0.4], mean glomerular volume (MGV; μ3 × 106: RW-M, 1.9 ± 0.1; RW-Cast, 1.45 ± 0.15; RW-Cast+DHT, 1.91 ± 0.15), tubular damage, and proteinuria (mg/day: RW-M, 130 ± 8; RW-Cast, 105 ± 5; RW-Cast+DHT, 142 ± 9), whereas DHT treatment abrogated these effects. Ovariectomy increased the GSI (RW-F, 0.69 ± 0.05; RW-OVX+E2, 0.65 ± 0.05), tubular damage, and MGV (μm3 × 106: RW-F, 1.0 ± 0.06; RW-OVX, 1.5 ± 0.05; RW-OVX+E2, 0.96 ± 0.06), whereas E2 treatment prevented these effects. Furthermore, DHT treatment of RW-OVX animals exacerbated the GSI (1.9 ± 0.19), MGV (1.7 ± 0.2 × 106 μm3), and proteinuria (171 ± 21 mg/day) even further. Our data show that the lack of E2 and presence of androgens contribute to progressive renal disease induced by RW hypertension, suggesting that gonadal steroid status is an independent factor in the greater susceptibility men exhibit toward hypertension-associated renal disease compared with women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Background: Ublituximab is a novel anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody glycoengineered for enhanced antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. The phase 3 ULTIMATE I and II studies showed significant improvements in annualized relapse rate, total number of gadolinium-enhancing (Gd+) T1 lesions, and total number of new or enlarging T2 at Week 96, as well as improvement in the proportion of participants with no evidence of disease activity (NEDA) from Weeks 24-96 with ublituximab vs. teriflunomide., Methods: In ULTIMATE I (NCT03277261; www.clinicaltrials.gov) ( N = 549) and II (NCT03277248; www.clinicaltrials.gov) ( N = 545), participants with relapsing multiple sclerosis received ublituximab 450 mg intravenous infusion every 24 weeks (following Day 1 infusion of 150 mg and Day 15 infusion of 450 mg) or teriflunomide 14 mg oral once daily for 96 weeks. Pooled post hoc analyses evaluated NEDA by treatment epoch and participant subtype: age ( ≤ 38 or >38 years), early or later disease (<3 or ≥3 years following diagnosis), treatment history (treatment naïve or previously treated), 0 or ≥1 Gd+ T1 lesions at baseline, and Expanded Disability Status Scale score ≤ 3.5 or >3.5 at baseline. NEDA was defined as no confirmed relapses, no Gd+ T1 lesions, no new or enlarging T2 lesions, and no disability progression confirmed for ≥12 weeks., Results: NEDA rates in the ublituximab vs. teriflunomide cohorts by treatment epoch were: Weeks 0-96, 44.6% vs. 12.4% (3.6 × improvement); Weeks 24-96 (re-baselined), 82.1% vs. 22.5% (3.6 × improvement); and Weeks 48-96 (re-baselined), 88.2% vs. 30.4% (2.9 × improvement) (all p < 0.0001). The primary driver of disease activity in ublituximab-treated participants was new or enlarging T2 lesions during Weeks 0-24. 41.8% of ublituximab-treated participants who had evidence of disease activity in the first year (Weeks 0-48) experienced NEDA in the second year of treatment (Weeks 48-96) compared with 17.3% of teriflunomide-treated participants. At Weeks 24-96 (re-baselined), rates of NEDA were significantly higher with ublituximab than teriflunomide in all participant subtypes (all p < 0.0001)., Conclusions: ULTIMATE I and II pooled post hoc analyses demonstrated a consistent NEDA benefit among ublituximab-treated participants across treatment epochs and key participant subpopulations., Competing Interests: EA has received compensation for advisory boards, lectures, and consultancy with Actelion/Janssen, Alexion, Bayer, Biogen, Celgene/BMS, EMD Serono/Merck, Genentech/Roche, Genzyme, Novartis, Sanofi, and TG Therapeutics; research support from Biogen, Genentech/Roche, Novartis, TG Therapeutics, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Initiative, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, National Institutes of Health, and Rocky Mountain MS Center. LS has received compensation for consulting from TG Therapeutics. H-PH has received honoraria for serving on steering or data monitoring committees or speaker fees from Bayer, Biogen, Boehringer Ingelheim, BMS Celgene, GeNeuro, Merck, Novartis, Sanofi, TG Therapeutics, and Roche with approval by the Rector of Heinrich-Heine-Universität. PQ has received speaking and consulting honoraria from Biogen, BMS, Genzyme, Genentech, Viela Bio, and TG Therapeutics. SW has received compensation for consulting from TG Therapeutics; has been a consultant, speaker, and research participant for Celgene/BMS, Biogen, EMD Serono, Genentech/Roche, and Genzyme/Sanofi; has conducted research/been a consultant for Novartis, and has conducted research for Alkermes and TG Therapeutics. DR has received consultancy fees from Greenwich Biosciences, Mallinckrodt, and Novartis; honoraria or speaker fees and consultancy fees from Alexion, Amgen, Biogen, Bristol Myers Squibb, EMD Serono, Genentech, Horizon, ImmPACT Bio, Janssen, Sanofi Genzyme, and TG Therapeutics; research grant support from Anokion, Atara Biotherapeutics, Biogen, CorEvitas, EMD Serono, Genentech, GW Pharmaceuticals, Janssen, Novartis, PCORI, PRIME CME, Sanofi Genzyme, TG Therapeutics, and UCB. KS has received honoraria for speaking, consulting, and serving on advisory boards from Merck, Novartis, Roche, Biogen, Celgene, BMS, and TG Therapeutics. DW's employer has received research funding, speaking fees, or he has served as expert witness for AbbVie, Adamas, Allergan, ANI Pharma, Avanir, Banner Life, Biogen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Chugai, Eli Lilly, EMD Serono, Genentech, GW Therapeutics, Immunic, InnoCare, Janssen, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Mallinckrodt, MAPI Therapeutics, Mylan, National MS Society, Novartis, SanBio, Sanofi Genzyme, UCB Biopharma, Viela Bio, Teva Pharmaceuticals, and TG Therapeutics and was employed by Consultants in Neurology. EF, KM, YX, KB, and HM are employees of TG Therapeutics. BC has received personal compensation for consulting from Alexion, Atara, Autobahn, Avotres, Biogen, Boston Pharma, EMD Serono, Gossamer Bio, Hexal/Sandoz, Horizon, Immunic AG, Kyverna, Neuron23, Novartis, Sanofi, Siemens, and TG Therapeutics and received research support from Genentech and Kyverna. The authors declare that this study received funding from TG Therapeutics. The funder was involved in the study design, collection, analysis, interpretation of data, the writing of this article, and the decision to submit for publication. All authors had full editorial oversight of the manuscript and provided final approval for all content. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision., (Copyright © 2024 Alvarez, Steinman, Fox, Hartung, Qian, Wray, Robertson, Selmaj, Wynn, Mok, Xu, Bodhinathan, Miskin and Cree.) more...