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Monoclonal antibody | |
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Type | Whole antibody |
Source | Human |
Target | IFN-gamma |
Clinical data | |
Pronunciation | /ˈɛməpəlˌuməb/ EM-a-PAL-eu-mab[1] |
Trade names | Gamifant |
Other names | NI-0501, emapalumab-lzsg |
AHFS/Drugs.com | Monograph |
MedlinePlus | a619024 |
License data |
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Routes of administration | Intravenous |
ATC code | |
Legal status | |
Legal status | |
Identifiers | |
CAS Number | |
DrugBank | |
ChemSpider |
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UNII | |
KEGG | |
Chemical and physical data | |
Formula | C6430H9898N1718O2038S46 |
Molar mass | 145352.66 g·mol−1 |
Emapalumab, sold under the brand name Gamifant, is an anti-interferon-gamma (IFNγ) antibody medication used for the treatment of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH),[3][4][5] which has no cure.[6]
The most common side effects include infections, hypertension, infusion-related reactions, and pyrexia.[3]
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers it to be a first-in-class medication.[7]
Emapalumab is used to treat primary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) with refractory, recurrent or progressive disease or intolerance with conventional HLH therapy.[3]
In the clinical trials that lead to emapalumab's FDA approval, the most commonly reported adverse effects were infections (56%), high blood pressure (41%), infusion reactions (27%), and fever (24%).[2][8] Serious adverse effects occurred in about half of the subjects studied in the clinical trial that led to its FDA approval.[8]
In the setting of HLH, over-secretion of IFN-γ is thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of the disease.[2] Emapalumab binds and neutralizes IFN-γ, preventing it from inducing pathological effects.[2]
Like other antibody-based medications, which are made of amino acid chains called polypeptides, emapalumab is broken down into smaller peptides via the body's normal catabolism.[2]
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted orphan drug designations in 2010 and 2020,[9][10] and breakthrough therapy designation in 2016, on the basis of preliminary data from the phase II trial.[11]
In July 2020, and again in November 2020, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommended the refusal of the marketing authorization for emapalumab.[12][13]
The research name of emapalumab was NI-0501.[1] A phase II/III trial began in 2013 and is ongoing as of August 2018[update].[14] The trial targets patients under the age of 18 who have failed to improve on conventional treatments.[15] This study was realised in the context of an EU-funded FP7 project, named FIGHT-HLH (306124).[citation needed]