Inebilizumab, sold under the brand name Uplizna, is a medication for the treatment of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) in adults.The most common adverse reactions include urinary tract infection, headache, joint pain (arthralgia), nausea and back pain.Inebilizumab is a humanized mAb that binds to and depletes CD19+ B cells including plasmablasts and plasma cells.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers it to be a first-in-class medication. Medical uses
Inebilizumab is indicated for the treatment of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) in adults with a particular antibody (patients who are anti-aquaporin-4 or AQP4 antibody positive).NMOSD is a rare autoimmune disorder in which immune system cells and autoantibodies attack and damage the optic nerves and spinal cord. NMOSD can be associated with antibodies that bind to a protein called aquaporin-4 (AQP4). Binding of the anti-AQP4 antibody appears to activate other components of the immune system, causing inflammation and damage to the central nervous system. Clinically, the disease is manifested with attacks/relapses that result in neurological impairment such as blindness, paraplegia, sensory loss, bladder dysfunction, and peripheral pain. The disability from each attack is cumulative, making NMOSD a chronically debilitating and potentially life-threatening disease.
The primary efficacy endpoint was the time to the onset of the first adjudicated relapse on or before study day 197 evaluated by a blinded, independent, adjudication committee, who determined whether the attack met protocol-defined criteria. The trial was conducted at 82 sites in 24 countries (including the United States) in North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted the application for inebilizumab orphan drug designation and granted approval of Uplizna to Viela Bio. Society and culture
Legal status
In November 2021, the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) adopted a positive opinion, recommending the granting of a marketing authorization for the medicinal product Uplizna, intended for the treatment of adults with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) who are anti-aquaporin 4 immunoglobulin G (AQP4-IgG) seropositive. The applicant for this medicinal product is Viela Bio. Names
Inebilizumab is the international nonproprietary name (INN) and the United States Adopted Name (USAN). References
Further reading
Cree BA, Bennett JL, Kim HJ, Weinshenker BG, Pittock SJ, Wingerchuk DM,  et al. (October 2019). "Inebilizumab for the treatment of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (N-MOmentum): a double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled phase 2/3 trial". Lancet. 394 (10206): 1352–1363. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(19)31817-3. PMID 31495497. S2CID 201839513. External links
"Inebilizumab". Drug Information Portal. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Clinical trial number NCT02200770 for "A Double-masked, Placebo-controlled Study With Open Label Period to Evaluate MEDI-551 in Neuromyelitis Optica and Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorders" at ClinicalTrials.gov